


Perks of the Game

by suckerforsoulmates



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23299477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suckerforsoulmates/pseuds/suckerforsoulmates
Summary: Soulmate AU where a big daily event of your soulmate is written on your arm. Christen has a daughter and hasn't met her soulmate yet.
Relationships: Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Comments: 89
Kudos: 603





	1. Chapter 1

"Spence, you got it!" Kelley screamed excitedly as she watched the 4-year-old dribble the ball slowly (incredibly slowly) towards the goal, laughing quietly at all of her teammates who were acting like the little girl was getting away from them. 

"Go Spencer, you got this!" Ali added as she ran next to the girl in slow motion. 

Spencer was smiling widely and giggling as she was surrounded by some of her favorite aunts at the end of one of their National Team practices in LA. 

The little girl successfully made it to the goal and kicked the ball as hard as she could, jumping up and down as she watched it roll about ten feet into the goal, Ashlyn diving for the ball after it passed her and had already entered the net. 

"YES!" Everyone screamed, except for Ashlyn who was pretending to pout.

The child was surrounded by 5 players, receiving high-fives and words of encouragement from all of them, laughing heavily as her dark curly hair bounced with her. 

"Well done, young grasshopper." Ashlyn said as she came out of the goal to give the green-eyed child a hug. 

"Auntie Ash!" She squealed as the goalkeeper picked her up and squeezed her. 

"You gonna join us on Team USA soon?" She asked, tickling Spencer before she set her back down to run around the field. 

They all continued on with their conversations as they kept an eye on Spencer, who was currently wandering towards another player on the field. 

\---

"Hi." Spencer said somewhat quietly as she made her way over to one of the players who was practicing juggling. 

"Hi. I saw your goal over there, it was amazing." The woman said as she crouched down, taking a knee on the turf. 

"Thanks. Auntie Kelley taught me." The girl added with a shrug as the woman chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll be beating Auntie Kelley soon enough. I could even help you with that if you want." She added as the kid smiled brightly and nodded enthusiastically. 

"I'm Spencer." 

"Spencer, nice to meet you. I'm Tobin." The lanky woman said with a smirk as Spencer stuck her tiny hand out to bridge the gap between them. 

Tobin grabbed her hand, shaking it softly, smiling to herself as Spencer tightened their grip ever so slightly. 

"Is your mommy around?" Tobin asked with a smile as Spencer shook her head. 

"No, mommy had a meeting at work and Auntie Kelley said I could come." 

"Well this is more fun than a meeting, isn't it?" The taller brunette asked, already knowing the answer. 

"Duh!" The green-eyed girl said obviously, causing the soccer player to laugh heartily. 

"Pretty silly question, wasn't it?" She asked rhetorically. 

\---

"Mommy, I had the best day!" Spencer said as soon as Christen walked inside the door. 

"Did you, sweetie? Did Aunt Kelley let you play some soccer with them?" Christen asked with a big smile, already guessing the answer. 

"Yes! I got a goal!" Her daughter shrieked happily as she started jumping up and down again. 

"You did? Baby, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" She added, picking up her daughter and hugging her tightly, smiling as Kelley winked at her from her living room. 

"Kell, thanks so much for taking her today, I really appreciate it." Christen added as she walked to join Kelley on the couch, still holding Spencer. 

"Anytime. The rascal and I always have a good time together." She said with a smirk as Christen rolled her eyes. 

"When is your next game?" Christen wondered. 

"We have a game in about a week." The shorter woman responded. "Want me to get you two tickets?" 

"That would be great, if you don't mind? I'm sure Spence would love to see a proper game, wouldn't you, baby?" The curly haired woman asked as she rubbed her daughter's back. 

"Yes!" Spencer said happily, somewhat quieter than before as she was fighting sleep after her long day.

"I'm going to put her down for a nap, want to stay for dinner?" Christen asked as she stood up with her daughter. 

"Sounds great, Press. I'll be down here." Kelley said with a smile. 

\---

"Hey Kelley, can I show you something?" The taller woman asked her friend as they were seated on the couch together. 

"Of course, dude. What's up?" She asked as Christen rolled up her sleeve to just above the inside of her left elbow. 

_Meet Spencer_

"Chris." Kelley whispered in shock as she looked up at her best friend's green eyes. 

"Yeah. I woke up this morning and looked to see what my soulmate was up to today, and this was there." 

"Wow. Well I mean, we always knew she was a soccer player, right?" Kelley asked, still shocked that it was confirmed to be one of her friends. 

"Yeah, I mean there's been things about winning games, winning the world cup, going to the Olympics and all that. I just never expected something so close to home."

Every day, something big that would happen in your soulmate's life would show up on your arm. Eventually you'd both wake up to _Meet your soulmate_ etched onto your arm for the day, but you still had to go through the day as usual, not knowing how or at what time it would happen. 

Kelley quickly ran through the list of people in her head that Spencer had met that day and smiled as she realized who it was. 

"What is your smile for?" Christen asked with a head tilt. 

"Because I know exactly who it is and it makes complete sense. I'm not telling you who it is though, I'm not messing with fate." Kelley added as Christen beamed. 

"Good, I don't want to meet her until I'm supposed to. You really think we'd be good together?" She asked nervously, picking at some invisible lint on her sweatpants that she'd changed into. 

"You'll be floored by her, Chris. You two will really make complete sense together." The normally rambunctious woman added sincerely, not calling Christen out when she noticed the happy tears forming in her green eyes. 

\---

The next week passed by quickly until Christen was getting woken up at 7am Saturday morning by her daughter launching herself onto the curly haired woman's bed. 

"Mommy! Game day!" She said, already having put her O'Hara jersey on, still wearing her dinosaur pajama bottoms. 

"Wow, baby. That's a nice jersey that Auntie Kelley gave you, huh?" She said sleepily, as she gathered her daughter into her arms. 

"Uh huh." She said happily, snuggling into her mom's arms. 

"The game isn't for a few more hours, honey. How about we get that jersey off of you, so we keep it clean? And then I'll make you some pancakes." Christen offered, smiling as Spencer sat up and pouted. 

"I guess." She said sadly. 

Christen quickly grabbed her phone and snapped a picture of the 4-year-old leaving the room in her jersey and sent it to Kelley. 

_Just told her the game isn't for another few hours._ She's devastated. Christen sent off with the picture to Kelley, knowing she'd get a kick out of it. 

As Christen reached to sweep her hair up into a bun, she glanced at her soulmate's big event for the day. She dropped her hair quickly as she realized what she'd just read on the inside of her left arm. 

_Meet my soulmate_

"Holy. Shit." The green-eyed woman said slowly in disbelief, rubbing her eyes before she looked at her arm again, standing up quickly as she started to pace in her bedroom. 

Christen quickly picked up her phone and dialed Kelley. 

"That little girl is so damn cute. She looks great repping number 5." Kelley said happily as she picked up the phone, not even allowing Christen to say hi first. 

"Kell. Bigger problem. Today is the day." She said nervously, bouncing around her room. 

"I think that's great, Chris! I know it's a terrifying thing, but it'll be so worthwhile." 

"Well what do I wear? Do I do it up big or just be my normal self?" Christen asked as she ran her hand through her hair. 

"Wear what you'd originally planned, which better be that O'Hara jersey." Kelley said with a chuckle. "Seriously, Chris, she's all about being your authentic self."

"I really don't know how I feel about you knowing who she is while I don't." 

"Well, that seems like it's changing today. I was so nervous when I read that on my arm, but then I met Emily and everything changed. All of those nerves went out the window and everything was just right." 

"Thank you." Christen essentially whispered. 

"I'll see you at the game." Kelley added before they both said their goodbyes. 

About 10 minutes after Christen hung up, Kelley was getting the exact same phone call from Tobin and managed to talk her down in the exact same way, though didn't let it spill that she knew who her soulmate was. 

\---

Since Christen graduated Stanford, she managed to see a handful of Kelley's club games, but this was her first time seeing a National Team game and it was already a different atmosphere she noted from their spot in the stands. 

The two curly-haired, green-eyed ladies sat in the middle of the stadium wearing their O'Hara jerseys happily, Spencer proving to be a great distraction for her mom. They both smiled heavily as Kelley found them in the crowd after exiting the tunnel and waved. 

Christen spent the whole game looking at all of the USA players on the field, trying to decipher who her soulmate could be. While she paid attention to the players, Spencer paid attention to the game and was thrilled when the US took the win in a 2-1 game. 

After the stadium had somewhat calmed down, Kelley walked in front of their section and waved at them to come down onto the field, so Spencer (and Christen) could celebrate with them. 

"Here goes nothing." Christen said under her breath as she picked Spencer up and walked them down the steps, getting the clearance from the security guards before hopping onto the field. 

Christen swept Kelley up in a hug as soon as she set Spencer down, all of them smiling widely when Spencer hugged Kelley's knees as it was all she could reach. 

"Look at you, kid! That's a great jersey you have on!" 

"It's yours!" Spencer said after she giggled. 

"You don't say! That's why it looks so great! Why don't you run ahead and go play some ball with everyone on the field." Kelley suggested as she and Christen followed slowly after her. 

"Thanks again for bringing her to practice the other day, she had a great time. It's all she's been talking about since." Christen said with a smirk, knowing that was Kelley's plan all along. 

As they approached the rest of the USWNT on the field, Christen smiled as she watched her daughter interact with the players. The little girl was currently trying to kick the ball to Ali and Ashlyn as some others walked over to see what they were up to. 

"Christen, hey!" Emily said as she went up and hugged her tightly.

"Hey! Great game, dude." She said, happily returning the hug before Kelley pulled Emily away, leaving Christen to catch up to her daughter. 

She noticed a gorgeous lanky woman approach Spencer, cleats already off with bags of ice wrapped to her thighs. 

"Wow." Christen said as she took in the *Heath* on the back of her jersey, being broken out of her trance when she saw Spencer notice her. 

"Tobin!" Her daughter said happily as she abandoned the ball, not noticing Ashlyn's pout and Ali's laughter. 

"Hi Spencer!" Tobin said brightly as she continued to approach the little girl. 

"Nice goal! You teach me?" 

"Thanks, dude. Of course! Auntie Kelley is good for beginners, but I think you're ready for some harder work. What do you say?" Tobin asked with a smirk, chuckling at Kelley's offended scoff from 10 feet away. 

"Yay! Mommy too?" She asked as she pointed to Christen, who was startled back into approaching them. 

"If she wants to." Tobin said softly as they made eye contact for the first time. 

"Hi. I'm Christen." 

"Tobin." The player said as she reached out to shake Christen's hand, wanting to make contact with the younger woman in front of her. 

"It's great to meet you. Spencer had a great time with you the other day." Christen said, hoping she wasn't wrong, trying to prove that Tobin was in fact, her soulmate. 

"I had a great time with her, I can't believe Spencer and I had never met before. And I'm disappointed that we haven't met before this." The brown-eyed woman said softly as Christen blushed. 

This was it. 

"Seems we have some time to make up for then." The green-eyed woman answered back, smirking to herself as Tobin's smile widened even more than she thought was possible. 

"I'd love that." She said sincerely, neither of them really noticing that Spencer had gone back to play with Ali and Ashlyn again. 

"Me too." Christen added softly with a nod. 

"Hey, Christen?" 

"Yeah, Tobin?" 

"An O'Hara jersey? Really?" Tobin asked with a straight face, causing Christen to chuckle. 

"I think I could be persuaded into supporting another player instead." 

"Great answer. I'll get you both Heath jerseys before another game." Tobin said, blushing at the idea of the Press women wearing her name. 

"Kelley will have a field day with that." Christen said with a laugh as Tobin nodded. 

"That's part of the perk." The soccer star said truthfully. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin, Christen, and Spencer spend some more time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the support! I don't really have a plan for the story, just planning on fluff with minimal, if any, angst. We need some happiness right about now!

"Kelley!" Tobin all but shouted as soon as Kelley picked up the phone. 

"What's up, dude?" She asked her friend calmly. 

"I totally spaced and didn't ask Christen for her number." The woman said as Kelley started chuckling. 

"Not funny, O'Hara." Tobin said, running a hand over her forehead.

"Dude, I thought you had game, what happened?" The shorter woman asked with another chuckle as she heard Tobin groan. 

"I was so nervous. She's just so gorgeous and sweet and I couldn't handle it. We both said goodbye and were like well, we'll obviously see each other, but it didn't even cross my mind." 

"Oh, T. You precious footballer. I can send you her number." 

"Thank you so much, KO. Thank you. Okay, bye." She said as she hung up, expecting Kelley to text her Christen's number right away. 

Tobin paced around her apartment for at least 5 minutes before her phone charmed with a text from Kelley, slightly cursing the woman, knowing she made her wait on purpose. 

\---

_Chris, your ding-dong just called me in a frenzy asking for your number. I sent it to her._

Christen smiled widely as she read that text from Kelley, climbing into her bed after successfully tucking Spencer into bed after dinner and her bath. 

_She's perfect, Kell. Thank you._ The curly-haired woman texted back, thinking about her conversation with Tobin on the field. 

\---

The two women had only been able to talk for about 20 minutes before Tobin had to head to the locker room and Christen had to head home with Spencer. They embraced each other in a tight hug before they parted ways and Tobin gave Spencer a quick high-five before she jogged through the tunnel and into the locker room, Christen watching her the whole way. 

Ali walked up to Christen shortly after, the green-eyed woman still looking off in the distance in the direction that Tobin had gone. 

"That's a lovestruck smile if I've ever seen one." Ali said happily as Christen blinked and then smiled happily in her direction. "How are you, Chris?" The brunette asked as she pulled Christen into a tight hug. 

"I'm good, Ali, thanks. Actually I'm incredible. Tobin seems amazing, I'm really lucky." She gushed slightly. 

"You are. Tobin is a real catch, she's incredible and she loves kids." Ali added to her friend, watching Christen's heart eyes appear. 

"She does?" She asks softly, even though she'd seen her daughter interact with her already. 

"She has a niece and a couple nephews and let me tell you, your ovaries will hurt from watching her with them. Same with Spence. You'll be so broody." Ashlyn said as she walked up to join them, having heard the end of their conversation. 

"Good to know." She responded with a chuckle as Ali smacked Ash's shoulder. 

"Hey, we're all in LA for another week before we go back to our club teams. How about a barbecue or dinner or something before then?" Ali suggested as Christen nodded happily. 

"That sounds great. How about we figure it all out tomorrow?" Christen asked before she called Spencer over and the ladies nodded. 

\---

[Tobin]: _Hi, it's Tobin. Would you both like to do something tomorrow?_

[Christen]: _Hi Tobin! That sounds great, we're happy to do anything._ Christen said, bouncing from her place in bed, really excited and touched that Tobin was including her daughter as well. 

[Tobin]: _How about lunch, park, ice cream?_

[Christen]: _Perfect. Looking forward to it. Your new #1 fan will be thrilled when I tell her in the morning._

[Tobin]: _Hopefully you both will be my #1 fans..._

[Christen] _I think that title can be shared between the both of us if you play your cards right ;)_

They continued to text back and forth for a few more minutes before Tobin stopped responding, Christen smiling when she realized the soccer player must have fallen asleep while texting her. 

\---

The next morning, Tobin walked into their film room with the biggest smile, looking forward to seeing Christen and Spencer later. 

"Damn, Tobs. You trying to break your face over there?" Ashlyn asked as the rest of the girls chuckled. 

"See, I told you and Press that you had nothing to worry about!" Kelley added from the back of the room. 

"Wait, she's Press? Christen is Pressy?" Tobin asked, somewhat shocked, having usually only heard her mentioned in that manner. 

"Duh! Where have you been, Tobs?" KO said with a laugh. 

"It never clicked to me that Press was Christen. I had no idea. I swear I've only heard you call her Press, never Christen." She said, realizing now that she also hadn't known Christen's last name or Press' first name until a few seconds prior. 

"Yeah, she is the one and only Christen Press aka Princess Pressy." Kelley said with a wink, knowing that Tobin was now rethinking all of the previous stories Kelley had told her about her college best friend, Pressy. 

"So, like. Christen can play?" Tobin asked dumbly, her brain feeling fuzzy at the thought of the woman running around a soccer pitch.

"Tobin. Christen beat out Alex for the Hermann Trophy and is the all time leading scorer in Stanford history." Kelley said slowly as Tobin looked at her blankly. "Your girl can play. She's a total badass." Kelley added as Tobin continued to stare at her. 

"Alright, Tobs. Stop thinking about her running around in short shorts, join us back in real time." Ash said with a laugh as Pinoe shoved Tobin, the brunette not even caring. 

"Wow. Okay." Tobin said, sitting down with a smirk, thinking about how she could convince her soulmate to let Tobin see her in action. 

\---

The lights flickered back on as the meeting started to come to an end, so Tobin checked her phone in the brief pause and smiled brightly seeing Christen's name on her screen. 

[Christen]: _We're both excited to see you today! Do you want to meet at my house whenever you're done this morning?_

[Tobin]: _That sounds great, Christen. Wrapping up here soon, so I'll be over in about an hour?_

[Christen]: _See you then, superstar._ She typed out, followed by her address in the next message. 

A little over an hour later, Christen was opening the front door and meeting Tobin with a blinding smile. 

"Tobin. It's great to see you." The younger woman stated as she walked into Tobin's arms, squeezing her tightly, not caring about the fact that Tobin's hands were full. 

"It's great to see you too. These are for you." The brunette said once Christen had pulled back as she handed a bouquet of purple tulips she was holding to the woman in front of her. 

"Tobin, you didn't have to do that. They're gorgeous." She said, holding the flowers close to her after squeezing Tobin's arm. 

Just as the footballer was going to ask about Spencer, the little girl ran into the room. 

"Tobin!" She all but screamed, not fully able to pronounce the player's name. 

"Hi Spencer! It's good to see you! I brought you some flowers." She said with a reserved smile as she showed Spencer the bouquet of multicolored daisies. 

"Wow." The child said in wonderment, her green eyes getting bigger as Tobin smiled brightly. 

"Do you like them?" She asked, slightly nervous as children rarely held back their true thoughts. 

"So pretty! Mommy, can they go in my room?" 

"Of course, bug. We'll get them all put into a vase and put in your room." Christen said as she took the flowers from the girl, needing something to do to try to slow her quickly beating heart. 

She walked them all to the kitchen and grabbed two separate vases, filled them with water, and distributed the flowers before she handed Spencer hers in the vase. 

"Can you walk these to your room slowly without spilling it?" Christen asked, knowing Spencer liked to be as independent as possible at times. 

"Yay!" She squealed instead of actually answering the question as she toddled off to her room slowly. 

"We'll see if there's a crash or not. She's been better at not dropping things." Christen said with a smile and a slight shake of the head as Tobin chuckled. 

"That was really sweet of you to bring me flowers, Tobin. And the fact that you brought Spencer some too..." She slowly tapered. 

"You both deserve the best. Plus she needs to know how she should expect to be treated when people are trying to date her." Tobin added as Christen's heart stuttered for what felt like the hundredth time already that morning. 

"Yup. Officially your number 1 fan." The curly haired woman added as she walked over and pulled Tobin into a fierce hug, not letting her go until she heard Spencer wandering back. 

"So. Can we talk about the elephant in the room?" Tobin asked as Christen quirked an eyebrow. "This outfit choice?" Tobin added with a smirk as they both looked down at Spencer who was currently wearing her O'Hara jersey again. 

"Right. Well. She was really excited to see you and wanted to support the team again, so here we are." Christen added with a chuckle. 

"I think I can fix that. Give me one minute." The brown-eyed woman said as she quickly turned and left the house. 

"Mommy, where is Toby go?" 

"Where did Toby go?" She repeated back, partly to correct Spencer's grammar and partly in her own curiosity. 

\---

The question was answered quickly as Tobin reappeared and knocked on the front door, waiting for Christen to let her back in, even though it was unlocked. 

"I got you something, Spencer." Tobin pulled out a red USA #17 jersey with _Heath_ on the back and chuckled as the little girl started jumping up and down. 

"I wear now?" She asked happily as she hugged the new jersey. 

"I think we should see how it fits!" Tobin added in confirmation before she turned back to Christen. 

"I think it would look great on now. I'm sure Kelley would love a picture of this." She said, the first part to Spencer and the rest was mumbled to Tobin with a smile. 

"Fear not, Miss Press. You also have your own." She added as she pulled another jersey from the bag for Christen, smiling as the women began blushing in front of her. 

"These are great, Tobin, thank you. I hope you'll let me pay you back for these." 

"Of course not, they're a gift. Plus, I talked to the equipment manager last night after the game and he was a champion and had these ready this morning." The woman explained as Christen smiled fondly. 

"Mommy, look!" Spencer said as they heard running back towards the kitchen. 

They both looked over to find the green-eyed girl happily wearing Tobin's jersey. 

"Wow, that fits perfectly! I think it looks great, Spencer. What do you think?" Tobin asked as Christen shook her head happily. 

"It's perfect!" The little girl said before she started giggling as Tobin fist pumped, winking at Christen as she smiled brightly. 

"You want to text Kell or should I?" Tobin asked as she stood up and looked at Christen. 

"I'll do it, superstar." Christen said as she grabbed her phone and looked at Spencer with a smile. "Bug, let's show Auntie Kelley how happy you are with your new jersey." 

Kelley smiled as she opened a text from Christen, seeing a picture attached. She was in the middle of awwing at how cute her niece was when she realized what number the little girl was wearing. 

[Kelley]: _OH. HELL. NO. Who did this?! You? Tobin? Both of you?_ Christen read as she started laughing, handing Tobin her phone so she could read the text their friend had sent. 

[Christen]: _"My work here is done." -TH17_ The curly haired woman typed with Tobin over her shoulder, laughing. 

"Perfect. You both set for lunch?" The player asked, hungry and assuming the Press women were as well. 

"I'm hungry, mommy." 

"There's our answer then. How about I drive since I have her car seat in mine?" 

"Sounds good, let me just grab some things from my car and I'll be good to go." Tobin added as they all walked outside and Christen locked the front door. 

"Everyone ready?" Christen asked as she looked from Tobin in the passenger seat back to her daughter in the back seat, smiling as both of them nodded. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you have any prompts or ideas you'd like me to try and cover in here! Thanks again!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! I really have no plans for where this is going.

An hour and a half later, Christen found herself chasing her daughter and Tobin around a park, laughing heavily as she watched Spencer steal the soccer ball from Tobin's feet. 

Her daughter had slowly stolen it from Tobin, rather Tobin let it be stolen and managed to put on a good show for Spencer. 

Christen slowed to a stop, enjoying the heartwarming moment of this brand new woman in her life taking the time to get to know her daughter and getting along well with her without needing any tips. 

_Yup._ Christen thought, this woman really knew how to quickly make her way into the hearts of the Press women. 

After a few more minutes of Spencer playing soccer, she decided she wanted to go wander around the jungle gym with some of the other kids. 

"What do you say, Press? A little 1 v 1 action? I have it on good authority that I should watch out for you." Tobin asked with a smirk after Christen told Spencer to stay nearby and not wander off from the playground. 

"Game on, Heath. You better watch yourself, at one point in college, Kelley called me _The Blur_." The green-eyed woman added with a wink, making Tobin melt at the wink-blink combination. 

Christen immediately kicked the ball up, kneed it, and then went running down the field before Tobin could catch her breath after watching the woman in front of her never fail to surprise her. 

The older woman eventually caught up and after lots of hand grabbing and skirting around each other, was able to get the ball and run it back down to her side of the field, aiming for a pair of trees that had previously been deemed a goal. 

Tobin was about to make her shot on the goal when Christen came out of seemingly nowhere to steal the ball. By the time Tobin had turned to chase the curly-haired woman, she was sprinting down the field. 

"Damn. _The Blur_ is right." Tobin said to herself as she jogged down to where Christen was now celebrating her goal. 

"How's it feel, Heath?" The mom asked as Tobin slowed to a stop. 

"Pretty damn good, Press. I'll lose to you any day." 

\---

After another 30 minutes of Spencer running around the playground as Tobin and Christen watched from a bench nearby, the little girl came up to them, finally exhausted.

"Mommy, we get ice cream now?" She asked as Tobin smiled, turning to look at Christen. 

"Sure, let's do it." The younger woman said happily as she stood up from the bench and Spencer slipped her hand into hers. 

They began walking back to Christen's car, each of the women having a hand in Spencer's and Tobin slowly dribbling the ball while they were walking. 

The group had eaten at a small family-owned cafe near the park before heading to the park, but not before promising ice cream to the pre-schooler after they were done at the park. 

The three ladies walked into a nearby ice cream shop, Spencer holding both of their hands still, only breaking them when Tobin stopped to hold the door open for them both. 

"Alright, baby. What do you think?" Christen asked as she picked Spencer up to look at all of the ice cream flavors in the case. 

"Cookies!" She said thoughtfully, nodding along to her own comment. 

"Good choice, bug." 

Spencer happily gave her order of cookies and cream to the teenager working behind the counter, followed by Christen ordering chocolate chip, and Tobin ordering vanilla. 

Tobin paid and handed the little girl her ice cream cone, smiling at the look of love on the girl's face as she looked at her ice cream. 

"She lives for ice cream." Christen said with a laugh as Tobin chuckled along. 

"I see that. A girl after my own heart." Tobin added, smiling as the ice cream was slowly dripping down Spencer's hand and the girl didn't seem bothered at all. 

\---

"So how much more time do you have before you have to go back to Portland?" Christen asked slowly as they drove back to her house, Spencer dozing off in the backseat. 

"Well I had initially been set to go back in about a week, but I was able to extend my trip for another week." The soccer player said, somewhat nervously twisting the ring on her middle finger, missing Christen's blinding smile. 

"Tobin." The woman heard softly, looking up to meet her favorite pair of green eyes.

Christen still had the blinding smile on her face when she turned back to look at the road, slowly extending her hand across the center of the car, palm up. 

Tobin stared at her hand for a short second, realizing what the younger woman was doing, before she laced their fingers together and effectively held Christen's hand hostage, receiving no complaints. 

They continued the rest of the short drive in silence, enjoying being together, Christen embracing the butterflies in her stomach as Tobin squeezed her hand every so often. 

As they pulled up to the Press house, the brown-eyed woman brought Christen's hand up and kissed the back of it, squeezing once more before releasing it so she could place the car in park. 

"Stay for dinner and a movie?" The curly-haired woman found herself asking as they sat in the car, not ready to say goodbye yet. 

"That sounds great." Tobin agreed without dropping a beat. 

"Good." Christen said with a happy nod before she got out of the car and unhooked Spencer from her car seat, picking her up gently, the little girl still passed out. 

Tobin had walked to her car to put her soccer balls back in the trunk before she wandered back to the front door, smiling as she realized Christen had left it cracked open for her. 

By the time the footballer walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, Christen was walking in to find her, smiling happily. 

"Spencer will be out for at least an hour, but I figured we could start on dinner in about 30 minutes. I was just planning to do pasta. Does that work with you?" 

"Sounds great, Christen. Thanks for spending the whole day with me." The older woman said sincerely as Christen beamed. 

"I've had an incredible day, Tobin. So has Spencer, so thank you." Tobin nodded shyly. "How about we go sit on the couch for a little bit?" 

\---

"It sounds like you have a great crew in Portland." Christen said after she and Tobin had finished laughing at one of Tobin's stories. 

"I do. They're a fun time." The brunette said with a smirk and a nod. 

"I know it wasn't because of us, but I'm glad you're staying an extra week." The raven haired woman added with a shy smile. 

"You're wrong. It was because of you guys. I wanted more time here. With you both." Tobin said, scratching the back of her neck nervously. 

"Seriously?" Christen asked, slightly in shock. 

"Yeah. Should I not have told you that? I got so much shit from Kelley about it." Tobin said quickly, suddenly afraid she'd made the wrong move. 

"No, I'm glad you told me. I want you to tell me things." Christen said as she squeezed their interlaced hands, blushing as Tobin squeezed her hands back. 

"Good. I want that too. So I've been hearing rumors of a partial team/Press dinner or grill situation." Tobin said slowly, smiling as she watched Christen looked panicked for a second. 

"Yes! I totally forgot about that, but yes. Ali and Ash, Kell and Emily, and us if you'd like to come. This Saturday here in the backyard." Christen said as she tried to remember the details. 

"I'll be here, just let me know what I can bring." 

"A bathing suit." The green-eyed woman said quickly, before chuckling a little as Tobin raised an eyebrow as Christen reached forward to grab her wine glass. 

"Trying to see what's under the jersey, Press?" 

"You know it, Heath. I'm sure you have some incredible abs. They felt amazing during our hug earlier." Christen said, blushing even further as she sat her wine glass down on the coffee table in front of them. "I should probably stop drinking now that I've thoroughly embarrassed myself." 

"You haven't embarrassed yourself. I think you're pretty amazing, Christen." 

"Likewise, Tobin." 

"I'd really like to kiss you." 

"Ah, so the forward can be forward." Christen said as Tobin groaned and she laughed at the response. "So kiss me." Christen whispered as Tobin looked at her happily. 

The brunette slowly leaned in, smiling as Christen continued to make eye contact with her before she leaned in, letting Tobin make the first touch. 

_First touch is the most important._ Was what ran through Christen's head fleetingly as she was immediately drawn into the kiss, their lips already seeming comfortable working together. 

Tobin drew back slightly, but was stopped by Christen's hand pulling her shirt back in, their lips never separating before Tobin went on to straddle Christen's thighs on the couch. 

Enjoying her leverage over the younger woman, Tobin continued to connect their lips slowly, before she slowly and ever so softly let her tongue run along Christen's lower lip, smiling as the woman below her opened her mouth readily, also reaching behind the lanky woman to rest her hands on Tobin's butt, drawing her in more. 

Tobin smirked quickly as she continued to grip either side of Christen's neck, the two still kissing deeply. 

The two went on for a few more minutes before Tobin pulled back with glassy eyes. 

"Wow." Was all she said as Christen looked up at her, lips parted and eyes blinking back open slowly. 

"Wow is right." She said, licking her lips as she still held on to Tobin's butt lightly. 

"Not that I want to break this up, but should we start on dinner or do something so Spencer doesn't walk in on her mom feeling someone up?" Tobin asked with a smirk as she ran a hand through Christen's hair, scratching her scalp slightly. 

"The voice of reason. We'll just have to pick this back up later." Christen said, eyes closed and leaning into Tobin's hand in her hair. 

\---

"She nutmegged me." Kelley heard as soon as she accepted the call from Tobin as she left the Press house after watching Frozen and kissing Christen a bit more. 

"She what?" Kelley asked, walking into the other room as Emily was on the phone too. 

"We played soccer in the park and Christen 'megged me. I couldn't believe it." Tobin said fondly. 

"She's still got it, that's for sure." The freckled woman said with an approving nod. 

"I nearly got down on one knee right then and there." Tobin said seriously, startling a chuckle from Kelley. 

"Thought you didn't like balls between your legs." Kelley said dryly before they both cracked up. 

"Touche. But damn, Kell. It was unbelievably hot. I can't even describe it. Pretty sure my heart stopped for a good few seconds there." 

"So today went well?" 

"Better than I ever could've imagined." Tobin said sincerely. "I can't believe I'm lucky enough to spend the rest of my life with them. It's so surreal." 

"Surreal, but nice?" Kelley asked, quoting one of her favorite movies that she'd made Tobin watch time and time again whenever they were roommates on the road. 

"So surreal. Kelley, is it possible to move too fast with your soulmate?" 

"I mean, as long as you are both on the same page, I don't think so. If you're both happy with how things are going, go with it. Though, I know she's really protective of Spencer, so that might slow things down." 

"You're right, you're right. Plus I'm leaving soon, so we need to just work on getting to know each other so we can handle a long distance thing." 

"Tobs, I'm really happy for you guys." Kelley said sincerely as Tobin smiled. "Now hang up, because you're staying with us, so I don't even know why you called in the first place. I'll see you when you get here." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate it!

It had been 4 days since their outing to the park and Tobin had been over to the house every day for dinner and a movie, followed by some alone time after Spencer was put to bed. 

The lanky brunette had quickly become an important fixture in the Press household. She helped Christen with dinner and played games with Spencer if Christen had a handle on dinner, and washed all the dishes as Christen handled bath time before they all met back up on the couch for a movie. 

Luckily for Tobin, she had gotten to see Christen over her lunch hour for the past two days. The footballer had been more than happy to pick up lunch and meet Christen at her office at Briggs, Steiner, and McCluskey Law Offices. 

Tobin walked in carrying a bag from In'n'Out and waved at the receptionist, no longer needing to check in or ask for directions to Christen's office. 

Tobin wandered down the hallways and smiled as she knocked softly on Christen's door before peeking in slowly, smiling brightly as she saw the woman she was looking for standing and looking out the window while on a phone call. 

The curly-haired woman dropped her hand from her hip and turned around, beaming once she realized that Tobin was there. She quickly waved her in and mouthed _almost done_ to her soulmate before returning to wrap up the call. 

Nearly two minutes later, she was hanging up the phone and walking over to where Tobin was sitting down, smiling when the older woman stood up and opened her arms. 

Christen immediately walked into her arms and squeezed her soulmate tightly, burying her face in Tobin's neck for at least 30 seconds before she pulled back and kissed her softly. 

"Hi baby." Christen said softly as she blushed, Tobin smiling even brighter. 

"Hi Chris. How are you?" The brown-eyed woman asked as she tucked a piece of hair behind Christen's ear, not moving from the hug they were still embraced in. 

"Good. Busy. I don't think I'll be making it home on time tonight." Christen said with a pout, which Tobin quickly kissed off her lips. 

"I don't have to come over if you're too busy." She said softly, rubbing her hand up the lawyer's arm. 

"Of course you're coming over. I'll just have to pick up Spencer from my parent's and head home later than normal. I'll probably just order something." 

"If you want I can meet you at yours with dinner. Or I can pick up Spencer and we can grab dinner and meet you at yours? Whatever makes it easiest, Chris." Tobin added as she looked into sparkling green eyes. 

"You're so good to me." The woman added softly, kissing Tobin once more before breaking the hug and grabbing their lunch, knowing she only had a short time before her next call. 

\---

"So tonight?" 

"Tonight." Christen confirmed. "How about you call me when you're done with practice and we'll see how close I am to being done for the day and we'll go from there?" 

"Sounds perfect, honey." Tobin added, trying out a new pet name and deciding it fit when she watched Christen's eyes squint happily as her smile widened. 

"Excellent. I will be seeing you tonight then. Have a good practice and don't let Kelley cause too much trouble." 

"Easier said than done." Tobin said as Christen chuckled and nodded in agreement. 

"Alright, get out of here before I'm really stuck here forever tonight." Christen said, throwing a wink in Tobin's direction as the brunette walked forward and kissed her briefly before leaving her office. 

\---

At 5:30pm, Christen was in the middle of reading a contract when her cellphone rang, a perfect distraction for at least a few minutes. 

"Hi Tobs." She answered happily. 

"Hi you. I'm just about to head to the car. Where are you at with your day?" 

"I think I'll be longer than I originally thought." Christen sighed heavily. 

"I'm sorry, honey. How late do you think?" 

"I think I'll probably be able to escape around 7." 

"How about I grab Spencer from your parents and get her fed and bathed and the two of us can have dinner when you get home?" Tobin said easily as Christen sat in her office biting her lower lip. 

"I can't ask you to do all that." 

"Good thing I offered then." Tobin chuckled. "It's not problem, Chris. Or if you don't want me to do all that with Spencer, I can just meet you at yours with dinner once you're done."

"If you don't mind grabbing her from my parent's, that would be incredible. That means meeting my parents without me there, so I completely understand if you don't want to today."

"Gotta meet them sometime, Chris."

"You're an angel. I have to head into a meeting with some of my co-workers soon, but I'll text you my parent's address and let them know you're coming. Does that sound okay?" 

"Perfect, Chris. I'll pick up Spencer and we'll figure out dinner. It'll be waiting for you when you get home."

"Thanks, baby. Don't forget to grab a house key from my parents. I'll text you when I'm leaving the office." 

\---

Tobin had already showered and changed into her ripped jeans and white t-shirt before heading to her rental car and pulling up her GPS to head to the Original Press household. 

"Here goes nothing." The footballer said under her breath as she began driving to meet her soulmate's parents. Without said soulmate. 

Tobin didn't mind meeting them without Christen, especially since Spencer was good buffer, though she was nervous as she wanted to be sure to make a good first impression. 

About 15 minutes later, her jaw was dropping as she was pulling up to the Original Press household and taking in the enormous house in front of her. 

The brunette quickly parked the car and walked up to the front door, wiping her now sweaty hands on her jeans before she rang the doorbell. 

She didn't have to wait long before Stacy Press opened the door with a huge smile on her face. 

"Hi honey!" She said brightly as Tobin immediately felt at ease. 

"Hi Mrs. Press, I'm Tobin." The footballer said somewhat shyly as she stuck out her hand to shake Stacy's. 

"Oh please, it's Stacy." The matriarch said with a laugh as she pulled Tobin into a hug, squeezing her tightly. 

"That must be where Christen gets her hugging capabilities from." Tobin said once they had broken the hug, smiling as Stacy laughed happily. 

"It's great to meet you, Tobin. Why don't you come in and meet Cody. Spencer is running around here somewhere." 

"Sounds great, thanks. And thanks for letting me come over and pick up Spencer for Christen." The footballer said sincerely as she followed Stacy through the house. 

"Of course. It's very sweet of you to grab Spencer for Christen after she's had a long day at work. I'm sure Spencer will appreciate being able to fall asleep in her own bed tonight." 

Tobin was about to say something when she broke out into laughter instead, having looked out the glass doors into the backyard and catching sight of Spencer rolling around on the ground with the dogs, Cody watching on fondly. 

"She's quite a character, my granddaughter." Stacy said, looking at Tobin as she continued to watch the young girl. 

"She sure is, she's pretty great. She's so smart, I'm pretty sure I could hardly talk at 4 years old." Tobin joked as Stacy laughed. 

They both wandered into the backyard, Tobin quickly getting swept up with the dogs, who she was petting happily as Spencer realized she was finally there. 

"Toby!" The little girl screamed with glee as she started running over to the footballer. 

"Hiya, Spencer. Did you have a good day?" Tobin asked after she caught Spencer, who had launched herself into her arms. 

"The best! We did crafts at school and then Grampy picked me up and we played since then!" 

"That sounds great, Spence! And hey, this is a great looking jersey! Who is number 17? Must be a pretty good player, huh?" Tobin asked innocently as Spencer just giggled. 

"You, silly! You're 17!" 

"I am? Oh good, you might need to keep reminding me though." Tobin said with a smile as she transferred Spencer into resting on her left hip when she saw Cody Press starting to approach her. 

"Hi Mr. Press, it's nice to meet you." She said, right hand sticking out to shake his hand firmly. 

"You too, Tobin. And please, call me Big Daddy." He said with a smirk as Tobin looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. 

"Sure thing, Big Daddy." She said right away, missing how Stacy rolled her eyes. 

\---

"Tobin, would you like to stay for dinner? We can feed you both and send you home with leftovers for Christen." Stacy said from her spot in the kitchen, having just finished dinner by the time Tobin arrived. 

"That would be great, if you don't mind. Plus, I'm sure Chris would love some leftovers." 

"Of course not, why don't you and Spencer go wash up and then we'll eat." 

Tobin found herself really enjoying dinner with the Press family, though it would've been obviously more enjoyable with her soulmate, but she was finding that her parents were a huge part of how she became such an amazing woman.

Stacy and Cody had been keeping Tobin entertained with stories of a young Christen and her sisters and the only non-Press at the table was enjoying herself greatly. 

After a final story about Christen running away with her childhood dog only to be found in the backyard 20 minutes later, Tobin found herself heading out the door with Spencer. 

The lanky woman was pulled into hugs by both Press parents and was handed leftovers for Christen. 

"Thank you so much for dinner and for leftovers for Christen. It was great to meet you both, I'm sure I'll see you soon." The brunette added as she held Spencer on her left hip, and held Christen's food in her right hand. 

She smiled as Spencer knocked her head into the side of Tobin's as she held her. 

"You tired, Spence?" She asked softly as she turned and spoke into Spencer's hair, the little girl having rested her head on Tobin's shoulder, only giving her a small nod. 

"I guess that's our queue." The forward laughed as Christen's parents nodded happily. 

\---

Around 7:30pm, Christen finally looked at her phone for the first time since she hung up with Tobin. 

She noted several texts, but opened her conversation with Tobin first, smiling as she read the couple updates from her soulmate. The most recent being that she was about to put Spencer in the tub for her bath. Christen looked at the time and noted that she had started bathing Spencer about 15 minutes prior. 

She quickly chose 3 kissy-face emojis and sent them off before adding another message. 

[Christen]: _Leaving in 5. Be home asap. Thank you so much!_ Followed by another kissy-face emoji.

Christen then went on to look at the texts from her mom, her heart fluttering immediately as she realized her mom had sent her pictures. 

The first was of Spencer wrestling happily with the dogs, but the second one was the one that got her. Spencer was sitting in Tobin's lap in the backyard, both of them surrounded by the dogs, who were happily being pet by each of them. 

_All your girls._ Christen smiled brightly as she read that, agreeing to herself that her mom had captioned it properly. 

Christen had just sat in her car when her phone vibrated with another picture from her mom. 

It was of Tobin holding Spencer on her hip in the driveway, the small girl having rested her head on Tobin's shoulder and the older woman had her head turned into Spencer, talking to her lowly. 

_She's a keeper for sure, Christen. We had a great dinner with her, hopefully we'll see her again soon!_

Christen quickly replied to her mom, changed the picture on her lock screen to the one of Tobin holding Spencer, and then quickly took off in the direction of home, wanting to be home in order to read to Spencer before bed. 

\---

Christen walked into her house quietly around 7:50pm and went about her normal routine of putting everything away and slipping off her shoes before going in search of her two favorite girls, Tobin having quickly made the list. 

She found them both lying in Spencer's bed, Tobin in the middle of reading Good Night Moon. 

"Mommy!" Spencer squealed as she saw Christen stop in the doorway. 

"Hi, baby. I missed you!" She said as she walked towards the girls, scooping Spencer off the bed and drawing her into a big hug. 

"I miss you, mommy. Toby was reading!" 

"I see that! How about we let her continue to read?" Christen said as Spencer took her original spot back on her bed and Christen sat down near Tobin's feet as there wasn't any room on the tiny bed next to Tobin and Spencer. 

The lawyer smiled as she rested her hand on Tobin's calf, squeezing it gently as the woman started reading again. Christen wanted nothing more than to sweep her up into a hug and kiss her senseless, but she didn't want to do that in front of Spencer. 

As soon as the little girl had fallen asleep, Christen reached for Tobin's hand and escorted them out of her bedroom. 

"Tobs, I can't thank you enough for today." She added seriously as she pulled the brunette in for the tightest hug, followed by a slow kiss. 

"Of course, that's what I'm here for. Now let's go make sure you eat something." The footballer said as she held onto Christen's hand, kissing it once before walking them to the kitchen. 

\---

Christen was sat down at the table and Tobin grabbed the leftovers from the fridge before plating it and putting the food in the microwave, Christen sitting and watching happily, loving being taken care of. 

An hour later, Christen found herself wrapped up in Tobin's arms in her entryway, not wanting the older woman to leave. 

"What if you just stay?" She asked with a smile, pulling back slightly to look into Tobin's sparkling eyes. 

"Nice try, honey. You need to sleep before you have to start it all again tomorrow. I can bring you lunch if you have time again." Tobin said, running her hand through Christen's hair, smirking as she closed her eyes and sighed happily. 

"Lunch please. I'll make time." The taller woman added before she started kissing Tobin, trying to make their time last longer. 

After a few minutes of kissing, Tobin finally stepped back with a sigh. 

"I'm sorry, honey. Get some rest, okay?" The brown-eyed woman squeezed Christen's waist gently before she leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Can I take you on a date tomorrow night? Just the two of us?" She asked suddenly. 

"That sounds great, Chris." The footballer said, beaming. 

"Good. You've been incredible with Spencer, but sometimes having adult conversations is nice." She said with a laugh as Tobin leaned in to kiss her again. 

"I'll take whatever I can get." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!

Tobin woke up the next day for an early morning practice and stretched out in bed, smiling as she saw _Date_ on the inside of her arm as Christen's big thing she was going to do today. 

The brunette slowly woke up, stretched out in bed, and then grabbed her phone to scroll through social media, not committing to getting up fully yet.

She scrolled through Instagram for a few minutes, mainly just looking at Christen's page and admiring the woman's beauty before snorting at her own newfound level of cheesiness. 

[Tobin]: _Morning Chris, hope it's a good one. I'll text you when I'm leaving practice and headed to get food for us. Hope your day goes smoothly x_

Tobin had texted, knowing that Christen would be getting up in a few short minutes and she wanted her soulmate to wake up and have a smile on her face from the start. 

After finally rolling out of bed, brushing her teeth, throwing her hair into a quick ponytail-bun, she grabbed breakfast and was on her way to the pitch for practice. 

The footballer hopped out of the car and was walking in when she felt her phone vibrate, quickly grabbing it as she knew it was the green-eyed beauty she was thinking about. 

[Christen]: _Every morning I wake up to a text from you is a good morning, Heath._

[Christen]: _Though not all the Press ladies are having a good morning._

Tobin blushed heavily at Christen's first message and then chuckled as a picture of a very grumpy looking Spencer was delivered to her phone. 

[Tobin]: _Happy to help._ She typed out with a winky face, smiley, and a heart. 

[Tobin]: _Uh oh, looks like someone is not a fan of living the non-pajama life this morning. I can relate._

Tobin quickly put her phone away and headed to the pitch with some of her teammates, Kelley already giving her a hard time about Spencer's #17 jersey. 

\---

After meeting up with Christen at her office with salads and gyros from a nearby restaurant, Tobin headed to wander around LA with Allie for a bit, hoping to find something nice to take pictures of. 

While leaving Christen's office, the lawyer confirmed they were still on for date night, though all Tobin had to do was point to her arm with a smile, laughing as Christen took off her blazer and showed her the exact same thing on her arm. 

Spencer had wanted to see Tobin, so they decided to meet at Christen's house beforehand. 

Around 6pm, Tobin was pulling up to the Press household, walking up with a bouquet of daisies and a few sunflowers, as well as a stuffed animal. 

She knocked on the door and waited patiently for Christen to open it, smiling happily as Stacy opened it instead. 

"Hi Tobin, come on in honey. Christen is in her room still getting ready." The woman said before bringing Tobin in for a hug. 

"Here, these are for you." Tobin decided quickly, handing Stacy the bouquet. 

"Tobin, that's so sweet. I know they were originally for my daughter, but I'll happily accept." Stacy said as she brought the flowers forward to smell them as Tobin laughed. 

"Guilty. Sorry, I would have brought you some, but I completely blanked that we are going without Spencer and that means someone needs to watch her." The lanky woman explained as Stacy smirked. 

"That's quite alright. I think that kiddo is watching a movie if you wanted to go say hi. I'll let Christen know you're here."

"Thanks, Stacy." She added before wandering in the direction of the living room to find the smallest Press. 

\---

"Hi, Spence." She said softly, not wanting to startle the small girl who was curled up on the couch watching Finding Nemo. 

"Toby!" She said happily, remaining in her cozy spot as Tobin walked and sat down next to her on the couch. 

As soon as the forward was sitting down, Spencer was shuffling closer to her on the couch until she was practically begging Tobin to pick her up and hold her in her lap. 

The brunette held back a laugh as she sat the girl in her lap before kissing the top of her head. 

"I got you something. It's nothing big, but I thought you might like it." She explained as she handed her the soft brown bear that had a small soccer ball in one paw. 

"I love it, Toby." The little girl said happily, yet sleepily, as she pulled the bear to her chest and then continued to watch the movie. 

Christen walked downstairs about 10 minutes later and saw her soulmate sitting on the couch with Spencer in her lap, lying there happily holding her bear. She paused for a brief moment before her mom smiled from her place next to the girls on the couch and Christen laughed to herself. 

"Hi Tobs." She said softly, not wanting to disturb Spencer too much, even though she'd seen the movie more times than any of them could count. 

"Hi Chris. Wow. You look gorgeous." She added softly, smiling even brighter as Christen smiled and tilted her head. 

"Likewise." She added before she reached for Spencer, pulling her up into a hug as her daughter whined at being moved. 

"Bug, you're staying here with Grammy, remember?" Christen said, leaving a kiss on her temple. 

"NO!" The little girl shouted as Christen rolled her eyes slightly, causing both Stacy and Tobin to smirk. 

"Inside voices only, please. And yes. I know you've had a hard day, but it's almost your bedtime. Plus, who is going to hang out with Grammy?"

"You can. Me and Toby go out for ice cream." She said with a pout, tears starting to well up in her eyes as Christen melted slightly, also trying not to laugh. 

"We can hang out tomorrow, Spencer, how about that?" Tobin said after she successfully stifled her laugh. 

"You promise?" She asked, throwing her arm into the space between Tobin and Christen. 

"Pinky promise. I will see you tomorrow." The footballer said, stepping forward ever so slightly to connect their pinkies and shake. 

"Alright, give mommy a kiss before we leave." Christen said, smiling as her daughter kissed her cheek. 

The now wavy-haired woman set her daughter back down on the couch, this time closer to Stacy and leaned down to hug her mom. 

"Thanks again, mom. We appreciate it."

"Of course, Chris. I always love hanging out with my granddaughter. Plus, I have some pretty flowers to take home now too." She added with a wink to Tobin, smiling at her daughter's raised eyebrow as Christen looked between the two. 

They quickly said their goodbyes before heading out before Spencer could throw a bigger tantrum. 

"Did you really bring my mom flowers?" Christen asked softly as Tobin opened up the car door for her. 

"I brought them for you, but then when I saw your mom was here, I gave them to her instead. Sorry, honey." She said sheepishly as Christen looked at her in awe. 

"Never be sorry for that." She said firmly, yet sweetly, before she leaned forward and kissed her briefly before hopping into the car with a butterflies in her stomach. 

\---

About 15 minutes later, the two were walking up to the door of La Rignana, an upscale Italian Restaurant that Christen had been to for a work lunch before. 

Tobin opened the door for her soulmate and watched the gorgeous woman walk to the host podium, smiling as she took in Christen's wavy hair, sundress, and tan heels. She was glad she had brought some somewhat fancier clothes, having chosen a nice white t-shirt, a pair of navy blue chinos, and tan Sperry's. 

"So. Tobin. Tell me about yourself." Christen said jokingly, her hands clasped in front of her on the table once they were seated. 

"Well, Christen. I'm originally from New Jersey, but now live in Portland." She started, playing along as Christen started to laugh. 

They were quickly interrupted by their waiter and had ordered a bottle of red wine to start before they picked up their menus. 

"I'm really glad we did this." Tobin said with a smile as they clinked their wine glasses. 

"Me too, baby. It's still so surreal that we met and I'm just so happy." The green-eyed woman said with a blinding smile, her cheeks slightly blushed. 

"I never thought I could be this happy, Chris." The footballer admitted softly as she reached across to grasp Christen's hand and squeeze it gently. 

"Likewise. I know that we're soulmates, but I figured we should just have a conversation about this and lay everything out in the open?" The lawyer pitched to Tobin before taking another sip of wine. 

"Sure thing, honey. Take it away." Tobin gestured to her with a smile, running one hand through her hair, tousling it slowly. 

"I have no interest in being with anyone else and I know I have Spencer and our lives are in very different places right now, but I was hoping you'd be my girlfriend." 

"Of course, Chris. I'd love nothing more." She squeezed Christen's hand tightly. "I'm not interested in anyone else, I want you and Spencer. Plus, I think our lives are in similar places now, just different locations." She added with her trademark smirk. 

"Right. The location. I know you have to travel a lot and you live in a different state, but how is that going to work for us?" 

"I'm not going to pretend it'll be easy, Chris. Luckily I do get to travel a lot and my schedule can be really flexible at times, but it can be really slammed too. However, I do promise to visit as often as possible, and I'd love for you both to visit me in Portland if you're interested." 

"Of course we are, baby. I'm sure we'll continue texting every day?" The curly-haired woman asked, hoping the answer would be yes. 

"My goal is to call you or FaceTime you every day as well, along with texting. Granted, there may be the occasional day we're too busy or on opposite schedules, but I'm hoping to get to hear your voice every day." 

"I want that too, Tobin. How about we compare our schedules before you leave and have a tentative plan for trips?" Christen suggested as Tobin nodded. 

"That sounds great. I want to know when I get to see you again. Plus, we can always talk about you moving to Portland or we can do long distance until I retire, because I won't be playing forever." Tobin ended with a chuckle as Christen smiled. 

"Me too, I want to know when I'll get to see that beautiful smile in person. And I know Spencer will want to know too. I'm sorry for kind of treating this like a business meeting. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page." 

"I don't mind, Chris. It's nice to have everything settled. Or as settled as it can be with my profession." 

\---

"Can I ask you something?" Tobin asked slowly as she played with the food on her plate. 

"Always." 

"Why didn't you go pro? You're more than talented enough." Tobin asked, not wanting to bring up any bad memories. 

"You know, that was always the plan for me. Ever since I was a little kid, that was the end goal. But then life happened." She said with a shrug as Tobin nodded. 

"I got pregnant in the middle of senior year of college. You know, I've always been a control freak and I enjoy being in charge of my every move, but I went to a party with some of the team to celebrate being done with finals and I drank too much and I ended up sleeping with this guy. He seemed nice enough, but I think I was still trying to convince myself that I could see myself ending up with a man. Anyway, it was your typical college one night stand. Until it wasn't." She continued. 

"I can't even imagine how hard that must have been, Christen." Tobin said softly, touched that Christen had told her all of that. 

"You know, I was really angry at first. At myself for doing something so out of character for me. Angry at this baby that I didn't want. At the thought that my chances of getting drafted and making the National Team were going to potentially be over. I walked around so angry constantly, until I heard her heartbeat for the first time and just like that, I didn't care. I didn't care about giving up anything, all I cared about was her." Christen said, trying to blink back her tears. 

"And now I feel so guilty for ever feeling that way, because she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. The absolute best thing I've ever accomplished in my life and I would never give any of this up. I would never change when or how it happened because it wouldn't be the same and I live for her." The lawyer said passionately as Tobin wiped some tears from her face. 

"You're incredible, Christen." Tobin said sincerely before she leaned in and kissed her across the table. 

"It was hard, but I picked myself up, got into law school close enough to my parents that they could babysit for me, and here we are almost 5 years later." She said with a shrug, as if it was the easiest journey ever. "I'm sure you didn't think you were going to get a soulmate who had a kid. Or you didn't want that maybe, I don't know." She added, mumbling. 

"Hey, don't do that." Tobin said firmly. "I believe that everything happens for a reason. And I'm so grateful to have gotten an amazing 2-for-1 deal. Please believe that." 

"Somehow I do." Christen said with a smirk. 

"Besides, I've been along for the ride this whole time." She said easily as Christen tilted her head in confusion. 

"I remember the day you found out you were pregnant. I know Spencer's birthday is May 22nd. I knew when she started crawling, walking, lost her first tooth, started preschool. I've been kept up to date by our bond." She said as it was Christen's turn to tear up. 

"Fuck, I'm so glad it's you, Tobin."

"I'm so glad. I can't imagine it being anyone else now." The lanky woman said happily with a tilted head as she took in the woman in front of her.

"Enough of the sappiness, let's talk about something else please. Tell me about the latest Kelley prank saga or something." 

"Of course, she did prank Ash pretty good this morning. But for the record, my birthday is May 29th, so Spencer and I are birthday neighbors." She said with a smirk before she continued on with her story. 

\---

They didn't get back to Christen's until around 10:45 after dinner and dessert. Tobin had walked Christen to her door where they both made eye contact with each other and smiled, walking into each other and surrounding each other in a hug. 

"Did you want to come in?" 

"Just to say hi to Spencer, I promised. I won't wake her up though. Then I'll get out of your hair." 

"I'll say goodnight to you out here then, we don't need Stacy involved." Christen joked before she connected their lips.

After about 5 minutes, they broke apart, both breathless with huge smiles. Tobin pulled her into a hug until their breathing evened out and then pulled back to look at her girlfriend. 

"Ready?" She asked with a smirk as Christen nodded. "Oh, let me give you the house key back." Tobin said, still having had it on her key ring since picking up Spencer the night before. 

"Keep it, my parent's have another one." Christen said as she pulled them inside the house, finding Stacy waiting for them with a smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!

"Babes, you're still coming to the the barbecue tomorrow right?" Christen asked the woman who was currently curled up on the couch with her as a movie was playing. 

Spencer was already asleep in her room and the ladies had put on Bend it like Beckham to watch. Tobin was stretched out on the couch with Christen leaning into her, their arms around each other loosely. 

"If you're there, I'm there." The older woman said easily as she squeezed her girlfriend tighter and kissed her temple softly. 

"Good. I need as much Tobin time as I can get before you leave me." The younger woman added with a pout. 

"I'll never leave you. I might not always get to be with you, but I'll never leave you." The brunette admitted softly as she continued to run her hand up and down Christen's arm while kissing the pout off her face. 

"I'm holding you to that." Christen whispered as she looked into her girl's honey brown eyes, puckering her lips again and smiling when Tobin leans in and kisses her softly. 

Christen was just about to deepen their kiss when she heard crying from down the hall. 

"That's my cue. I'll be back in a minute." Christen said as she gave Tobin a quick kiss and then removed herself from the footballer's arms with a groan. 

Christen was only gone for about 5 minutes, but she came back out holding a very upset Spencer who was whimpering as she held her blankie in hand and the bear Tobin had gotten her in the other. 

The green eyed woman grimaced slightly as she approached her girlfriend, her having not seen Spencer during a full meltdown before. She released some tension in her shoulders as she saw the concerned look in Tobin's eyes. 

"Someone had a bad dream." Christen said with a frown as she squeezed her baby a little tighter. 

"Aw, poor kiddo." Her girlfriend replied softly as she patted Christen's original seat next to her on the couch, sensing her girlfriend's hesitation. 

Once her green eyed girls sat down, the brunette placed one hand on the back of the couch around Christen's shoulders and another went to rubbing Spencer's back. 

The child was leaning into her mom's chest, still whimpering when she suddenly pulled back and made grabby hands at Tobin, something that she had grown out of except for times she was really upset. 

Christen smiled softly as she watched the brunette slowly grab her daughter and embrace her, one hand rubbing her back and the other hand scratching her head softly. While part of her was sad that her little girl wanted someone else, she was glad to see her daughter connecting to Tobin so readily. 

"I'm sorry you had a bad dream, sweetie." Tobin said softly in Spencer's ear, Christen hardly able to hear them. 

"I don't like being sad, Toby." She whimpered, effectively breaking both women's hearts. 

"Being sad is never fun, Spence. I'm sorry it happened while you were sleeping. Your mommy and I are here though and we can all just sit out here until you fall asleep. How does that sound?" She asked as she kissed Spencer's forehead. 

"And blankie and Albie?" She asked softly, still squeezing her blanket and bear. 

"Yes, bug. All of us." Christen said soothingly as Tobin nodded, continuing to rub Spencer's back and head. 

The three cuddled in together as Spencer closed her eyes and began falling back to sleep as the adults finished watching the movie. Even though Spencer had finally fallen back to sleep about 30 minutes earlier, they silently decided to let her stay out with them, now sound asleep in Tobin's arms. 

"Thank you for being so great with her." Christen whispered, her hand running through Tobin's hair as the brunette sighs happily. 

"She makes it easy." The footballer responded softly as she leaned into Christen's hand. 

"I'm going to just let her sleep in my bed tonight." Christen said once she shut the movie off. 

"I can walk her there if you want?" Tobin offered as she stood up slowly, not wanting to wake Spencer or startle her. 

"That would be great, baby." The lawyer added, her hand squeezing Tobin's elbow. 

They both took off for Christen's room, the mom making sure to grab blankie and Albie as her daughter had dropped them in her sleep. 

After getting Spencer tucked in to the left side of the bed, Tobin straightened up (as much as she could) and turned around to embrace her girlfriend. 

"I'm sorry our night wasn't how I had originally planned." 

"Chris, don't apologize. I enjoy being with you guys, I don't care what we do. Plus, I'm invested and I'm happy to get to experience all of these new things. Okay?" She asked, holding Christen's chin up so they made eye contact. 

"Okay." She stated as her face started to smile. "Thank you." She added before kissing the woman in front of her. 

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Tobin asked as Christen started to whine. 

"Don't leave." She said with a pout. 

"Honey, you need some sleep, you've had a long week. Especially with me keeping you up late every night." 

"I welcome that, though." She said with a happy smile as Tobin chuckled. 

"I know, Chris. I do too. I'll see you tomorrow though." 

"I'll text you when I get up and you can come over whenever? Or you can just come over for the barbecue." She added, not wanting to pressure her girlfriend.

"I'll see you after you wake up, honey. I'm looking forward to it. What do you need me to bring though?" 

"Just yourself and that bathing suit." Christen added as she slowly ran her hands down the footballer's abs over her shirt. "Yup, definitely a bathing suit."

"Roger, boss." She said with a wink. "How about any wine or beer or anything?" 

"Whatever you and the team want to drink." 

"Noted. Sleep well, baby." Tobin added as she leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend.

\---

Tobin woke up the next morning around 9, happy to sleep in for the first day in a while. She laid in bed happily soaking in the sun shining through her curtains, choosing to wake up slowly. 

The footballer had been stretching out while lying in bed, enjoying the silence inside the house and the birds chirping outside her window before she heard her phone vibrate on the nightstand next to her. 

[Christen]: _Morning baby, I'm assuming you're still asleep since I haven't heard from you yet. I hope you're getting some good rest in._

Tobin smiled as she read the message, smiling even brighter as she stared at the kissy face emoji that completed the text. She was about to respond when her phone vibrated again. 

[Christen]: _This sweet girl let me sleep in a little bit, which was amazing. Look at how precious she is first thing in the morning._

Christen had added, Tobin smiling as she looked at the picture that had been sent through. Christen's green eyes staring calmly at the camera, her curly hair splayed out around her as she was lying with her head on the pillow. Spencer was sharing Christen's pillow and the little girl was on her side with one hand clutching Albie, her bear, and her other resting softly on Christen's cheek. 

After staring at the picture for another minute, Tobin finally responded. 

[Tobin]: _Just woke up and very lucky to have been graced with these texts. I'm glad you got to sleep in as well, you needed it._

[Tobin]: _Both my girls are precious and so beautiful._

Tobin typed out, adding a kissy face, heart, and heart eye emojis. She slowly rolled out of bed and hopped in the shower, even though she knew she'd be swimming later, not realizing that she'd called them 'her girls' in a text to Christen. 

\---

Christen smiled brightly, her stomach flipping slightly when she read the text Tobin had sent. 

"My girls." She whispered with a smile before she began tickling Spencer to get her up and started with their day. 

"Pancakes, mommy?" Her mini-me asked as Christen chuckled. 

"Sure thing, baby. Brush your teeth and then you can go put something on TV while I get ready." 

Her daughter happily wandered out of the bedroom to start her day as the lawyer walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth before going to make pancakes for them. 

[Christen]: _Flattery will get you everywhere, Tobs. Come over whenever, I'm making pancakes for breakfast if you're interested._

Christen was just finishing mixing the pancake batter when Tobin texted her that she was heading over for breakfast. The curly haired woman smiled brightly as she started pouring the mix onto the griddle. 

[Christen]: _Glad you're joining us sooner rather than later. Use your key to get in please, I've got pancakes cooking already._

About 15 minutes later, Christen's heart started beating faster as she heard a key in the lock, knowing she'd get to see her beautiful soulmate soon. 

"Hi honey." She heard as she was in the middle of flipping a pancake. 

"Hi babe. Thanks for coming to join the party early." Christen said as she put down the spatula and turned around to embrace Tobin strongly. 

"Of course. I'll take all the time I can get." 

"Good answer." She added with a wink. "Now, do you want blueberries or chocolate chips in yours?" 

"Can I have some of each?" The brown-eyed girl asked excitedly. 

"Of course, baby. So are you here for the day, or do you have to run off after breakfast?" 

"I'm yours for the day. I brought my bathing suit and a change of clothes, plus some beer and wine. I also brought stuff for s'mores." 

"My dream girl." Christen said with a smirk and a wink as she leaned in to kiss Tobin softly. 

"Where's the smallest Press?" Tobin asked as she tried to control her blushing. 

"Oh I see how it is. The one you really want to see is in the living room. I'll shout when breakfast is ready." 

"You're the best, Chris. Shout when it's almost ready and I'll set the table." Tobin added as she wrapped her arms around Christen's waist as the taller woman flipped another pancake. 

\---

After spending all morning lounging around together after eating an incredible amount of pancakes, the Press-Heath crew were a mixture of excited and disappointed as the doorbell rang. 

"Brace yourself." Tobin joked as Christen stood up in front of her with a smirk. 

"I don't know if I'll ever be ready for so much mayhem." The raven haired woman added with a chuckle as she headed to the front door, leaving behind Spencer who had made herself very comfortable in Tobin's lap. 

After hearing the excited greetings at the front door, Spencer looked up at Tobin with slight confusion. 

"Who is here, Toby?" She asked, making no move to get up. 

"Remember your aunts are coming over today for a barbecue? Aunt Kelley and Aunt-" Tobin started before Spencer got a wave of excitement and bolted off her lap and started running towards the door. 

"Auntie Kelley!" She shrieked as she ran straight into KO's arms, bypassing Emily, Ali, and Ashlyn. 

"Hi munchkin, how are you?" Kelley asked as she squeezed the girl and twirled them around. "I'm loving the excitement here." 

"I'm not." Ashlyn said sarcastically as everyone laughed, besides Kelley and Spencer who were in their own little worlds. "Hi, Spencer." Ashlyn drew out the little girl's name. 

"Hi! Auntie Ash, hi." She said, happily waving from her spot in Kelley's arms. 

"That'll have to do for now." The blonde joked as everyone started working their way into the house. 

"Where's Tobin? I saw the car outside." Ali asked curiously. 

"Toby's in the living room." Spencer answered easily as the teammates all looked at each other with a smirk. 

"Toby, huh?" Emily said with a smirk on her face as the rest of the girls laughed. 

"What?" Christen asked with a furrowed brow, unsure about what they were all laughing about. 

"Hey, why does she get to call you Toby, but no one else can?" KO asked once Tobin walked into their view, meeting them all in the kitchen. 

"Because you're not nearly as cute as she is." The brunette answered quickly with a shrug as everyone laughed loudly. 

"Ooh, burn." Ashlyn said as she shoved Kelley slightly, only holding back because she was still holding Spencer. 

"Wait, do you not like being called Toby?" Christen asked, finally cluing in to what they all must have been laughing about earlier. 

"She hates it. Whoever tries to call her that will promptly get told off on the field." Emily explained as she gestured a 'whipping' motion. 

"Oh stop, I'm not that dramatic." Tobin said with an eye roll as she moved to be standing right next to Christen. 

Spencer started asking them about playing a soccer game in the backyard when Christen leaned into Tobin and softly talked to her. 

"Tobin, I'm sorry. I can talk to her and we can get her to try to say your name properly or call you something else." Christen said, concern lacing her voice. 

"Not a chance, Chris. I really don't mind, I promise. I think it's cute coming from her, okay?" 

"Are you sure?" She asked, still skeptical. 

"Yes, honey. I promise. It doesn't bother me when she calls me Toby. I'd let you know if it did." Tobin added, quickly dropping a kiss on Christen's cheek. 

"You better." Her girlfriend said softly, squeezing Tobin's hip with a smile. 

\---

"Babe?" Christen said from her spot at the grill with all of the food. 

"Yeah, Chris?" Tobin asked as she got up from her seat around the outdoor table and wandered over to her girlfriend, placing her hand on the green-eyed woman's back. 

"I can't get the grill to turn on, can you troubleshoot it for me?" 

"Of course, honey. Hey, why don't you go sit and relax and I'll handle the grilling?" Tobin pitched as she handed her girlfriend the wine glass that she'd set on the table next to the grill. 

"It's okay, Tobs. I don't mind." Christen added with a shrug. 

"Really, honey. I've got it. Go spend some time with the girls, get off your feet. Being a single mom is a lot of work, you deserve a break." Tobin said softly, rubbing Christen's back as she said so, the younger woman smiling happily as she looked into her favorite honey brown eyes. 

"I don't think I'm so single anymore." She added with a smirk before taking a sip of her wine. 

"You're damn right you're not." Tobin added with a chuckle, leaning forward to kiss her quickly, not wanting to get hassled by her teammates. "Now go on." She said with a smile as she nodded to the right where the rest of the girls were seated. 

Christen didn't say anything else, she simply kissed Tobin's cheek and took her wine glass to go sit down. 

\---

About 45 minutes after their early dinner, they all decided that it was time to go swimming, it being a nice and sunny California day (as usual). 

Everyone went off to the different rooms and bathrooms in the house to change, Christen going to help Spencer get into her bathing suit before she got into her own. 

Tobin stayed back and brought all of the dirty plates and silverware into the kitchen and started doing dishes, no one aware that she hadn't gone to change. 

"Tobin!" She heard sharply, looking over her shoulder to see Christen in a black one piece bathing suit, effectively rendering her speechless. The brunette's eyes lingered on her girlfriend's seemingly endless legs until she heard Christen clear her throat. 

"Sorry?" She said softly with a blush, finally making eye contact with her girlfriend who had an amused look on her face. 

"Why are you doing dishes? I mean, thank you, but why? Are you coming swimming?" She asked with a tilt of her head. 

"I didn't want to have all this lingering over us to do at the end of the night. I just need like 5 more minutes and then I'll change and join you in the pool. Promise." 

"Thank you for being so good to me. Do you want help?" 

"Nope, go have fun in the pool, I'll be out shortly." 

"Okay. Are you having a good time, baby?" She asked, somewhat insecurely as her green eyes looked concerned. 

"Of course I am, Chris. I'm having a great time. Are you?" 

"Yeah. I really am." Christen answered with a bright smile before connecting their lips and then walking in the direction of where Spencer had just called to her, leaving Tobin to admire her butt as she walked away. 

True to her word, within 10 minutes, Tobin was walking into the backyard in her pale coral colored two piece bikini, ready to join everyone in the pool. 

"Oh." Was all she heard as her girlfriend looked at her sharply and seemingly frozen. 

"You okay over there, Press? You look a little thirsty." KO said as everyone else laughed. 

"Fine." Was all she stuttered out as she watched her girlfriend continue to approach them, her abs basically shining in the sun. "Fuck." She mouthed to herself, careful of Spencer's big ears. 

"Toby!" Her daughter shrieked happily from her place in Christen's arms in the shallow end, her floaties on her arms making Tobin smile even brighter. 

"Spence!" She said back just as happily as the little girl tried to swim closer to the edge of the pool, but really just succeeding in flailing around as everyone tried to hold in their laughter. 

"Wow, dude! You're crushing the swim game!" Ali said brightly, trying to encourage the girl with a bright smile. 

Tobin decided to help her out and quickly walked down the steps into the pool, walking over to the Press girls quickly, smiling as Spencer started floating on her back once she reached them. 

"Look at you go, Spence. I wish I could do that." She said in awe of the little girl, missing Christen's heart eyes. 

\---

"How did we not meet earlier?" Tobin wondered lowly as she held Christen in her arms on the couch later that night after everyone had left and Spencer was tucked into bed fast asleep. 

"I really don't know, but I'm glad we didn't because I would've been covered in vomit and looked like I'd never felt the love of a hairbrush or shampoo." Christen joked, thinking back to her days of being a new mom. 

"I wouldn't have minded. I'm pretty invested in every aspect of Christen Press." Tobin said sincerely as Christen turned her head to connect their lips. 

"I have it on good authority that she's pretty invested in one ab-tacular Tobin Heath." Christen said as Tobin laughed into her curly hair. 

"You've felt my abs before with those lingering hands, Miss Press." 

"Not the same as getting to look at them nonstop. Good thing I wasn't driving and you were running in a sports bra, I'd have crashed the car for sure." She said, jokingly, though fully serious. 

Christen was shaken out of her concentration time by the buzzing of her phone. 

[Kelley]: _Thanks for having us all over, Princess Pressy. We all had a great time! You and Tobin seem so happy together, it's great to see._

[Kelley]: _Gonna change your name in my phone to Christen "Heart Eyes" Press though, bc damn. You couldn't get any softer than when you look at Spencer and Tobin._

"You catching this, Tobs?" Christen said through her laughter, Tobin still surrounding her from behind. 

"Yeah, she sure is something else." The footballer agreed with a smile before she leaned forward to kiss Christen's shoulder. "I love your heart eyes though." 

"All for you, baby." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! If you have any type of prompt for where you want this story to go/what you want to see, let me know!


	7. Chapter 7

"Does this really have to be our last night together?" Christen asked with a slight whine as she cuddled up with her girlfriend on the couch. 

"For a while anyways. Unfortunately." Tobin said with a pout on her face. "I really wish I didn't have to leave, Chris. These past two weeks have been some of the best of my life."

"Says the Olympian." Christen said jokingly as Tobin frowned slightly. 

"I love soccer, sure. It's been my life for as long as I can remember." Tobin started slowly. "I used to love it more than anything, but if you asked me right now to give it up, I would. That's how much I love you." The footballer said shyly, only looking into Christen's eyes when she said those three important words. 

"Tobin." Christen said as her voice cracked. "I love you so much." 

The curly haired woman threw herself into Tobin firmly before she started kissing her. 

"I'm serious, Christen." Tobin said strongly after pulling back from their kiss. 

"I know you are, baby. But I will seriously kick your ass if you give up soccer for us. We will make this work, I promise you that. It will be hard and sad sometimes, but we'll get through it and we'll visit as much as possible. Remember?" 

"Yeah. I'm glad my girl has a love for planning." The lanky woman said with a smirk. 

"You'll be back here on your bye week in 1 month." Christen said with a smile. 

"That feels like forever from now." Tobin complained as Christen pulled her even closer. 

"It will fly by, Tobs. And we'll talk every day. I love you, remember? We'll make it work, it will just take some adjusting." 

"I love you, Chris." Tobin said with tears in her eyes, surprising the two women with how emotional she's being. 

"I know, baby. I feel it. I love you too." She confirmed, her green eyes shining happily as she softly wiped away the few tears that had fallen down Tobin's face. 

"I should go." The brunette said, wanting to leave and distract herself so she wouldn't be sad. 

"Your flight is at 1pm tomorrow?" 

"Yeah. I still need to pack." 

"How about you stay the night? We can get all the cuddles in and you can have breakfast with us in the morning before I have to leave for work and then you can go pack?" Christen pitched the idea hopefully, surprising herself at the offer. 

"What about Spencer?" 

"I always have to wake her up in the mornings, that girl loves her sleep. We can say that you came over for breakfast." She said softly, knowing the Tobin didn't want to get Spencer excited about her staying over either. 

"I'd love to stay here for the night." Tobin agreed with a shy smile. 

\---

The two had changed into pajamas, Tobin borrowing some of Christen's sweatpants and an old Stanford t-shirt, which had come with a few comments as Christen just smiled and watched as her girlfriend put the shirt on anyways. 

"What side?" Tobin asks as they're hugging each other at the foot of the bed. 

"I usually sleep on the right." Christen said with a shrug. "But I'm fine wherever." 

"Perfect, I usually sleep on the left." Tobin said, rubbing Christen's back soothingly. 

They slowly leaned back so they could connect their lips softly before they both decided to lay down. 

They continued trading sweet kisses until Christen's eyes started to flutter. The brunette smiled as her girlfriend laid her head on her chest and threw one of her legs over Tobin's. The footballer smiled sleepily as she continued to rub Christen's back comfortingly. 

"I love you." She whispered after kissing her girlfriend's forehead softly. 

"I love you." Christen managed to mumble/slur in her early stages of sleeping. 

\---

Before they knew it, it was time to wake up. Christen shut off her alarm quickly and then rolled back into Tobin, sufficiently becoming a koala on the older woman. 

"Morning, honey." Tobin said with a chuckle as some curly hair flew into her face. 

"Morning, Tobs." Christen kissed her shoulder. "Let's just go back in time?" 

"That sounds like a plan, honey." She agreed as Christen made a noise of agreement. 

"Do you want to get ready first? I take longer." The lawyer asked with a groan, not wanting to leave their happy place yet, especially after learning how much she loved going to sleep and waking up next to her soulmate. 

"Sure, Chris. I'll be quick." She said with a smile as she drew her girlfriend in for a slightly drawn out kiss before she hopped out of bed and headed for Christen's bathroom. 

The younger woman stretched out in bed, trying to think of some happier thoughts when she looked at her soulmate mark for the day. 

"Great. I know she's leaving, you don't need to remind me." Christen said grumpily as she looked at her inner arm and read the words for the day. _Portland._

The marks changed from day to day to the biggest most positive thing for the day. Christen frowned as she thought about Portland being a 'positive' thing for Tobin, especially after they had admitted that they both wanted her to stay with the Press ladies. 

However, Christen realized that Tobin hadn't been home in about 3 weeks and would likely be happy to see all of her friends and settle back in to a normal routine. 

"She can do all those things and still miss us and want to be with us." Christen told herself with a nod a few short seconds before Tobin walked out, dressed in her clothes from the day before. 

"You're all set, honey. Do you want me to get started on some pancakes while you get ready?" Tobin asked as she sat down next to her girlfriend. 

"Sure, baby. That sounds nice." They both stood up and wrapped each other in hugs before pulling apart with a kiss. 

"I'll leave you to it." 

\---

"Alright bug, you ready to head to preschool?" Christen asked after the three shared a nice breakfast. 

"Yay!" Spencer said with a few hand claps.

"Remember how we said that Tobin was going to go home today? Can you say bye?" Christen asked, not enjoying the pang in her heart at saying those words. 

"Here not home, Toby?" The child asked innocently as she looked up at Tobin with her expressive green eyes. 

"It's one of my homes now, but I have to go back to my work home." Tobin explained gently, completely certain that wherever the Presses were was home. 

"Oh. I don't want you to go." She said, her bottom lip starting to shake as tears filled her eyes and started spilling down her face. 

Tobin rushed to pull the little girl into her arms, squeezing her tightly as Christen turned away, trying to keep her own tears at bay. 

"I'll talk to you tonight, okay, buddy?" Tobin said once she pulled back after containing her own tears for a few more minutes at least. 

The sweet little girl simply nodded, pulling her bear even closer as she went to retrieve her backpack.

"Fuck." Was all Christen said when Tobin turned around to face her. 

"I love you so much, Chris." Tobin assured the woman in front of her, them both having tears present now. 

"I love you too, Tobin." She nodded her head as they remained in each other's arms, Tobin pulling back slightly to look at her girlfriend. 

"Chin up, Press. This is just the beginning." Tobin said with a blinding smile, it growing impossibly wider as Christen beamed back at her. 

\---

Sitting at the airport for her flight was one of the hardest things she'd had to do in a while. Tobin had been no stranger to relationships, but she'd never fallen this quickly or strongly before, signifying how different a soulmate was to you compared to a non-soulmate. 

[Tobin]: _I hope you're having a good day at work. FaceTime me tonight once you get settled with Spence please?_

[Tobin]: _img._

[Tobin]: _I keep staring at this picture wishing I could stay with you both. I'll be able to one day, I promise._

Tobin signed off with a heart before she started distracting herself with a video game instead. 

Christen was glad she had back to back meetings today to help keep her mind off the fact that her soulmate was currently in the airport about to fly away from her. 

She looked at her phone and smiled at the texts she had, beaming as she looked at the picture. At the barbecue, Ali had hopped out of the pool to refill everyone's drinks and snapped a few pictures before she submerged herself in the water again. 

Both Tobin and Christen's favorite had been one where the two women were crouching in the shallow end so the water was up to their shoulders with Spencer in front of them, floaties on, being supported by both of the women. They all three had the cutest and widest smiles on their faces as they looked at the camera. 

[Christen]: _Have a safe flight, baby. We'll definitely call tonight. I love you so much and miss you already._

[Christen]: _Our first family picture is [fire emoji]. Can't wait for all the ones to come._

\---

After texting back and forth for the rest of the day, Christen finally FaceTimed her girlfriend around 7pm as Spencer was brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed. 

"Hi honey." She heard softly before her girlfriend's adorable face picked up her phone to point it at her face.

"Hi Tobs." She said, sighing happily. "Wait. Tobin." Christen said stuttering slightly. 

"Yes, Chris?" Tobin asked with a tilted head. 

"You wear glasses?" She asked with a hard gulp. 

"I do. Is poor vision a problem?" Tobin asked with a chuckle. 

"When you look that absolutely adorable in those glasses? Not a chance. I'd appreciate seeing these a lot more." She said, biting her bottom lip. 

"We can make that happen, Chris." Tobin added with a smirk as Christen nodded happily. 

"Good. Are you all settled back in?" 

"I am. Never realized how quiet it was here, but I'm all settled back in. Practice bright and early tomorrow." She added with a shrug as she sat down on the couch. 

"It's quiet here too." Christen murmured. "Spencer is just brushing her teeth, but I thought you could read our bedtime story with us? And we can stay on with each other after?" 

"That sounds perfect, Chris." Tobin said honestly, not wanting to be alone on her first night back. "Do you want a quick tour of the place before Spencer is ready?" 

"Yeah, that sounds great. I want to see where the magic happens." 

About 10 minutes later, all three of them were settling into Spencer's room. Both of the Press ladies were lying down in the bed and Tobin (Christen's phone) was resting up against the lamp on the side table, so she was able to see the other two. 

Spencer fell asleep quickly into the Hungry Caterpillar as she was exhausted from a day of preschool and having a huge meltdown at the fact that she got home and Tobin wasn't coming over to see her. Though Christen chose to not tell her girlfriend that fact, knowing it would upset the brunette. 

"You tired, baby?" Christen asked as she watched the older woman rub her eyes under her glasses. 

"A little." Tobin admitted with a shrug. 

"How about we both crawl into bed?" 

"Yes please." Tobin added as she rested her phone on the pillow next to her. 

"I love you." Christen whispered into the darkness of her room, the only light coming from the moon shining through Tobin's bedroom, lighting up the brunette's face slightly.

"I love you too." Tobin said, her voice cracking slightly, not enjoying being away from her soulmate for the first time since meeting her. 

"We'll make it work, Tobin. We just need to find our groove, baby." 

"I know. We will." The footballer said in a firm whisper before she changed the subject quickly. 

\---

[Tobin]: _I hope my favorite girls have a good day. Can't wait to see your beautiful faces tonight._

[Tobin]: _I have practice and am going to watch film. Then I'm having dinner with some of the girls, but I'll be around whenever and will have my phone on me._

Christen smiled sleepily as she read the texts from her girlfriend that had been sent about 45 minutes earlier. 

[Christen]: _I feel bad that you get up earlier than I do and go to sleep around the same time..._

[Christen]: _But I also selfishly really enjoy waking up to messages from my lady. She added with several hearts and kissy faces._

[Christen]: _I'll be pretty busy at work all day, but then we'll be in for the night, so have fun with your team! Text me when you have an idea on what time we'll FaceTime. No pressure if you can't make it, enjoy yourself._

[Tobin]: _Not a chance. Even if I have to step out of dinner for a few minutes, I want to see your face. And my favorite Press' face._

Tobin added with a smirk as Christen laughed and rolled her eyes, simply texting Tobin back rolling eyes, kissy face, and face-palm emojis. 

Christen walked into her office almost two hours later and found a gorgeous bouquet of tulips on her desk. 

"Tobin." She whispered with a smile, dropping all of her things on her desk and picking up the card that came with the flowers. 

_For my best girl,_

_Beautiful ladies deserve beautiful things._

_All my love,_

_TPH_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Chapter 8

"Hello?" 

"Hi Stacy, it's Tobin." 

"Tobin!" Stacy said brightly, "How are you, honey?" 

"I'm doing really well, thanks. How are you and Big Daddy?" The lanky woman asked with a smile, laughing as Stacy snorted. 

"We're both doing fine. What can I do for you?" Stacy asked, assuming that this wasn't strictly a social call. 

"I'm planning to surprise Christen and Spencer this weekend." She said, smiling as she heard Stacy squeal slightly. "I'm practicing here Friday morning and flying out in the early afternoon." 

"Tobin, that's so great! I know they'll be floored to see you." The matriarch said honestly as Tobin smiled softly. 

"Not as excited as I'll be to see them." She assured the woman. 

"Do you need me to pick you up from the airport or something?" She asked, unsure of why Tobin was actually calling. 

"Oh, not at all. Thank you for the offer though. I was wondering if I can take you all out for dinner that Friday night? I was hoping I could surprise Spencer at your house and then Christen when she shows up to pick her up. And then we could all go out for dinner?" Tobin asked, somewhat nervously. "Unless that's way too much of an imposition and then I can just meet them at Christen's house." 

"That sounds great, Tobin. How about I make us all dinner though? That way we can have a low-key night in, I'm sure Christen won't want to go out after you surprise her. I have a feeling she'll be attached at the hip." Stacy added with a chuckle. 

"As long as that's not too much to ask, Stacy. I'd be happy to help with anything." 

"You're helping with Christen and Spencer's happiness and that's more than enough. Those two have never been so happy, even when they're missing you." 

"Likewise. I'm so incredibly happy, yet I miss them constantly." 

\---

Tobin woke up quickly that Friday morning, more than excited to get her day started, that way she could end it on a good note. While it had only been two weeks since leaving LA, she was beyond ready to see her favorite Press family members. 

The brown eyed woman smiled as she read Christen's happy point of her day. _Tobin._ It made Tobin curious for what was written on Christen's arm, but she'd be able to sneak a peek at it in person later. 

Tobin gave practice her all and was the first one out of the locker room after showering, more than ready to get to the airport. 

She felt a slight pang of guilt as she read Christen's latest text, which was simply a heart emoji, signaling that she missed her girlfriend. 

Tobin responded with a heart, kissy face, and hugging emoji, more than ready to actually be able to comfort her girlfriend in person. 

[Tobin]: _How's your day been, honey?_

[Christen]: _Okay. I'm ready for the weekend. Can't wait to see your beautiful face tonight. Maybe we can watch a movie together over FaceTime?_

[Tobin]: _Can't wait to see you tonight too._ Tobin typed out, knowing that she meant in person, even if Christen thought they were just going to be FaceTiming. 

[Tobin]: _That sounds great, honey. You can choose the movie._

[Christen]: _Miss Congeniality?_

[Tobin]: _You know how much I love Sandy B._

[Christen]: _Hopefully not as much as you love me._ She added a winky face. 

[Tobin]: _Not possible. I don't think I could love anyone as much as I love you and Spence._

[Christen]: _Likewise, baby. I can't wait for your bye week in two weeks. I just want to hold you._

[Tobin]: _I can't wait, Chris. I'm beyond ready for a full week with you._

[Tobin]: _Hey, I'm heading in to watch film soon, so if I don't respond, I will once I'm out._

Tobin added with a slight frown, not wanting to lie to her girlfriend. 

\---

3 hours later, Tobin was pulling up to The Press Mansion and knocking on the door, quickly getting swept up into a hug by Stacy. 

"It's so good to see you again, Tobin." 

"You too. I'm so glad to finally be here." 

"I'll bet. The girls aren't going to know what hit them. Spencer is in the living room right now and Christen should be here within the half hour." 

"Perfect. Thank you so much for this. Can I help you with dinner or anything?" The brunette asked as Stacy started walking them through the house. 

"Absolutely not. All I need you to do is go love that little girl. She's basically only been talking about you since you left. You should've heard her after your game the other night." Stacy said with a fond smile. 

"She's the sweetest thing ever." Tobin said happily as she branched off and walked quickly to the living room.

Tobin smiled softly as she saw Spencer sprawled out on the couch watching some sort of cartoon that Tobin had never seen before. 

"Well hi there, kiddo." Tobin said, trying to restrain her laugh when Spencer shot up with enormous eyes and darted towards her. 

"Toby!" She screamed, nearly loud enough to burst Tobin's eardrums. 

"Spencer!" Tobin said back happily in a more appropriate inside voice. 

"You came to see me?" The little girl asked as she curled into Tobin's arms. 

"Of course I did. I wanted to see you and your mommy." She answered as she squeezed the little girl again, not wanting to let her go. 

"Hi Tobin." Cody said as he walked into the room after hearing his granddaughter scream. 

"Hey Big Daddy." She said with a smirk as he nodded approvingly. 

"Thanks for joining us." He added as he sat down on the couch. 

"Thanks for having me." Tobin said honestly, wrapping Spencer up in her arms and going to sit on the couch with her so they could be more comfortable. 

"It's good to see you, you little koala." Tobin joked as she started scratching Spencer's back, smirking as the little girl tried to snuggle into her even more. 

After relaxing and chatting with the Press parents for a few more minutes, they heard the front door open and Tobin's heart started flying in excitement. 

Spencer was up and running to go greet her mom before Tobin even had time to respond. 

"Mommy!" Spencer shouted and Tobin heard Christen groan from her daughter launching into her. 

"Hi bug, you sure are in a good mood, huh?" Christen said happily, hugging her daughter and kissing her temple. 

"Toby!" She shouted simply, causing Tobin to stifle a laugh.

"We'll call Tobin once we get home, okay?" Christen said soothingly, more than ready to see her girlfriend's face. 

"No. Toby!" Spencer tried again as Christen sighed, not wanting to have to argue with her daughter again. 

"Yeah, buddy?" Tobin said with a blinding smile as she walked around the corner to see her two favorite ladies. 

"Tobin." Christen breathed out, quickly setting her daughter down and rushing forward to pull the footballer into the tightest hug possible. 

"Hi honey." She said haltingly, the air practically knocked out of her lungs with how tight the hug was. 

"How are you here?" She heard her girlfriend ask without moving from their embrace. 

"We were done early today and no game this weekend, so I decided to make a quick trip down. I wanted to see you before my bye week, because a month would've been way too long." She said, feeling Christen shake her head vigorously from its spot in the crook of Tobin's neck. 

"Thank you." The lawyer said sweetly, kissing Tobin's neck while still holding on for dear life. 

"Of course. I did it for all of us, Chris." Tobin said, effectively pulling back just enough to connect their lips softly. 

After they kissed briefly, Christen pulled her back into a hug before Tobin felt Spencer tug at her shirt. 

"Toby." The little girl whined slightly as she continued to tug on the footballer's shirt. 

"Sorry, buddy." She added, managing to get Christen to loosen her hold just enough so she could pick Spencer up and have her join their hug. "How about a mommy and Tobin sandwich?" The brunette asked excitedly. 

"Yay!" Spencer shrieked, her green eyes sparkling as she was surrounded by two of her favorite people. 

Christen still couldn't believe that Tobin was here for the weekend and she was floored, standing contently in their Press-Heath family hug.

They remained in their huddle for at least another 45 seconds before Stacy peeked her head out and said that dinner was ready. 

Tobin set Spencer down so the little girl could go wash her hands with the help of Cody. The brunette was about to go help Stacy with anything she needed when she felt Christen tug her back into a hug. 

"Just one more." She said quickly, wrapping her arms around Tobin before kissing her firmly. 

"I've missed your hugs." The older woman admitted before sighing into the hug. "Well, I've missed everything, but mostly just being with you and near you. Being able to hug you or hold your hand. Definitely miss the kisses." 

"Agreed. There's also no way that long distance is going to work if we can hardly handle two weeks apart." Christen said with a slight laugh, though mostly serious. 

"We'll figure something out, Chris." 

"But first, dinner." Christen added with a smirk, pulling back from the hug, leaving a kiss on Tobin's lips, and then wrapping her left arm around her girlfriend's waist and walking them towards the kitchen. 

\---

"Meet you at home?" Christen asked once she got Spencer all buckled into her car seat after dinner and saying goodbye to her parents. 

"Of course." Tobin said with a nod as she waved to Spencer before Christen shut the back door. 

"Please tell me you're staying with us." The curly haired woman asked as she squeezed her girlfriend's arm. 

"Well I was planning to stay at Kelley's apartment." Tobin said with a shrug, not wanting to invite herself.

"Tobin. Please tell me you're staying with us." Christen reiterated her question (statement) with a smile. 

"I would love to stay with you."

"Good answer. See you there." She added with a smile, leaning in to kiss Tobin's cheek when the footballer leaned to open the driver side door for her. 

\---

"I just can't believe you're here." Christen said brightly as Tobin beamed back at her, slightly out of breath. 

The two had already put Spencer down and were currently cuddled up together in Christen's bed, both naked with hands wandering slowly. 

The brunette traced the word on Christen's arm with a ghost of a smile. 

_Family_

"I'm glad your mark didn't ruin the surprise." Tobin said with a smirk as Christen chuckled, reaching out to tap on Tobin's arm where it said _Tobin._

"Tobin on Tobin. My perfect day." The curly haired woman said with a kiss to Tobin's arm over her mark. 

"I love you so much, I'm so glad I was able to come out to see you guys. Even if it's just for the weekend." 

"I love you too, Tobs. I'm so grateful for you and the fact that you came to surprise us. It means everything." She added, her green eyes sparkling as she cupped Tobin's cheek. 

"You're everything." Tobin added softly, turning to kiss the palm of Christen's hand and then leaning into it. 

"I think we should figure out a more intensive visiting schedule. If you're open to it." Christen added with a shrug, laughing as Tobin's smiled almost flew off her face. 

"Yes please." Tobin said as she nodded her head vigorously. 

"I know we have at least once a month scheduled, but maybe we can try for at least twice, but hopefully three times?" 

"I think we can make that work. Would you be willing to come to me, too?" Tobin asked shyly, even though they'd already spoken about it briefly. 

"Of course, baby. In every way." 

"Maybe I come here once a month and you come to me once a month? And then whoever has more of a free schedule can visit a third time?" Tobin suggested. 

"I love that. Luckily the flight isn't that long and they aren't too terribly expensive." The curly haired woman reasoned as Tobin began kissing her collarbone. 

"I'd like to talk money for a second." Tobin said slowly. 

"Sure, baby." 

"I want to pay for all of our travel. Any flights that you, Spencer, or myself take to visit each other. I'd like to pay for them all." Tobin said firmly, clutching the sheets up near her armpits.

"Baby, that doesn't seem fair. Can I ask why?" The lawyer asked gently, realizing Tobin's nervousness. 

"I have some sponsorships and things like that on top of my salary for playing for the Thorns and playing for the US Team." Tobin said, fiddling with the sheet. "I know you're a fancy lawyer, but I would really like to do this for us. Especially because I think you should be able to spend your money on you and Spence." 

"Tobin. You're the sweetest." Christen said as she reached up to link her hand with Tobin's, pulling it away from where she was holding onto the sheet with a death grip. 

"I'm not trying to dictate your life, I promise. I just think that if you want to put your money away into a college fund for Spencer, go on this awesome vacation, save to buy a winery, or literally anything you want to do." 

"I love you. I need to contribute in some way though. I don't like feeling like I'm being a freeloader." She said, kissing the back of Tobin's hand. 

"I don't want you to feel like that, either. I think giving me someplace to stay will equate to something?" The brunette pitched. 

"Done deal. And I get to pay for at least one dinner a trip." She bartered with a sly smile. 

"Deal. I don't want you spending the amount the flight is on me though. I want you to save it or put it towards some kickass soccer things for Spencer."

"Only if you promise to let me spend some type of exorbitant amount on us once we're no longer long distance." 

"That sounds perfect." Tobin said with a smile. "Should we shake on it?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow at Christen's bright smile. 

"I think we should do a little more than that." She stated before Tobin felt her girlfriend's hand graze over her abs. 

"I like the way you think." 

"We just have to remember to put on pajamas and unlock the door before we fall asleep." Christen said, breaking their kiss for a second before rejoining their lips. 

"Joys of motherhood?" The older woman said with a chuckle.

"You'll get used to it." The green eyed woman said with a peck on the lips as Tobin began kissing and nipping on Christen's neck.

"Looking forward to it." She said, slightly out of breath before Christen reconnected their lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Literally have no plans for where this is going, just writing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and support! I'll respond once I have some more time!

"Tobs." Christen grumbled adorably into Tobin's chest. 

"Morning, Chris." The brown eyed woman said with a chuckle as she continued to rub Christen's back. 

"Can we stay here forever?" She asked groggily. 

"Of course, Chris." Tobin said, leaving a kiss on the top of her head softly. 

Christen sighed happily as she continued to lay in her girlfriend's arms. 

They both heard the door creak open, both of them patting themselves on the back for putting pajamas on and remembering to unlock the door before finally falling asleep. 

"Mommy? Toby?" The curly haired girl called out as she wandered into the room with her bear clutched in her arm.

"Hi Spence, want to come up here?" Tobin asked as Christen just smiled, making no effort to move or speak. 

Spencer just nodded, her wild curls flying around her face as she crawled onto the bed and curled up in the crook of Tobin's arm, now lying opposite her mom. 

Tobin just smiled softly, her heart fluttering with love for her Press girls as she rubbed both of their backs softly, smiling when they both fell back asleep. 

They all laid in bed for another hour before finally getting up to start their day, Spencer bee-lining for the TV to turn on some Saturday morning cartoons as Christen and Tobin started on the pancakes. 

\---

"How about some apple pancakes this morning?" Tobin suggested as Christen had started whisking the batter. 

"That sounds great, baby." She responded with a bright smile on her face as her eyes shone with excitement at changing up their pancake game. 

"So I was thinking about this next weekend." The older woman said casually. "I have a home game on Saturday afternoon." 

"Against the Royals, right? Kelley's team." 

"Yes. And I hope I have your loyalty." Tobin said with a smirk. 

"Obviously, Tobs. I'll use any excuse to wear a jersey with your name on it." 

"Well I'm glad you said that, because how would you and Spence like to come up for the game?" She asked brightly as Christen dropped the whisk in the bowl and set the bowl down. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, Chris. You guys could stay with me and see the game. We can wander around Portland a bit if you want." 

"That sounds incredible, Tobin." Christen stepped forward and connected their lips happily. "Let me check on flights and see what times we could make." 

"I can't wait. I think you guys will have a blast watching a Thorns game." Tobin added with a smile. 

"I know we will. Pretty attached to one of the players." Christen added with a smirk. 

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, Sonnett is a pretty great player." The raven haired woman said with a straight face as Tobin looked shocked. 

"Oh, she's got jokes." Tobin laughed, stopping her apple chopping to squeeze Christen's waist. 

\---

"You leaving again, Toby?" Spencer asked as they were cuddled up in her bed on Sunday night. 

"Yeah, kiddo. I have to go back to work tomorrow. I'm leaving bright and early in the morning."

"Oh." Spencer said as she started to run her tiny index finger over the ring on Tobin's right hand. 

"We'll FaceTime though and you and Mommy are coming to Portland in 5 days to see me play for the Thorns, remember?" 

"Yeah! I wanna see you." Spencer said as she cuddled into Tobin further. 

"I wanna see you, too." Tobin kissed her forehead. "I'll see you soon, pal."

"You stay here?" Spencer whispered, her tiny hands on either side of Tobin's cheeks. 

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep." Tobin assured her with a grin. 

"Not all night?" She whined slightly. 

"I think that would make mommy a little sad." Tobin said with a chuckle as she squeezed the little girl.

"What is this?" Christen asked playfully as she walked into Spencer's room and found her two favorite girls cuddling together on her daughter's bed. "Where was my invite?" 

"Mommy!"

"Hop in, Chris." The brunette said with a blinding smile as she squished up closer to the wall so Christen could join them. 

"Sleepover, mommy? Toby said yes." Spencer said, her green eyes shining as Christen raised a brow and gave Tobin an incredulous look. 

"You trying to get me in trouble, silly girl?" The brunette said as she started tickling the younger girl. 

"No!" She squealed before they all settled back down. 

"Alright, big kid. Time for bed." Christen said firmly. 

"Sleepover?" She asked, sitting up between the two woman and looking down at them, pouting. 

"You can sleep in your own bed tonight, Spence. How about a sleepover tomorrow?" Christen pitched as the little girl shook her head no. 

"I think a sleepover tonight sounds great." Tobin said softly as Spencer cheered and then leaped off the bed. 

They both chuckled as they watched her curls bounce out of the room heading for Christen's. 

"Well. Guess someone isn't getting laid tonight." The lawyer said with a smirk as Tobin scoffed. 

"How am I supposed to say no when a Press looks at me like that?" 

"Acceptable answer." Christen added, her green eyes shining happily as she leaned in to kiss Tobin. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Chris. Now, there's a PRESSing matter to attend to." Tobin said jokingly, smiling as Christen rolled her eyes in jest. 

"Yeah, you weirdo. Let's go." The raven haired woman added, making no move to roll out of the bed. 

Tobin smirked as she straddled Christen and leaned down to drop a kiss on her lips before she rolled off Christen and the bed. 

"Ready, dude?" She asked, holding a hand out to her girlfriend. 

"Don't call me dude." Christen said with a soft laugh as she took Tobin's hand and got out of the bed. 

\---

The next 5 days flew by as Tobin was practicing and training most of the day while Christen worked and Spencer had preschool. 

They were able to FaceTime every night except for one where Tobin had fallen asleep on accident and didn't wake up until close to midnight to a few texts and a missed call. 

"This is Christen Press." Tobin heard as her soulmate picked up her office phone. 

"This is Tobin Heath." She said, her smile widening when she heard her girlfriend laugh. 

"Tobin! This is a nice surprise." 

"Thanks to Jen for patching me through to you. I was just calling to say hi." The brunette said happily. 

"Hi." Christen said softly. "I always love hearing your voice." 

"Likewise. I'm so glad to have you both here tomorrow." The footballer beamed. "Oh shit." She said quickly, causing Christen to set down the contract she was holding. 

"What? Are you okay?" She asked, somewhat panicked. 

"Should I have extended the invite to your parents? Shit. I'm the worst, I didn't even think of it until now." She added in a higher voice than normal. 

"Baby, don't worry about it. They have a monthly dinner with one of their couple friends this weekend anyways. Plus, I want you all to myself this weekend."

"Plus Spencer." Tobin reminded her with a chuckle.

"Obviously." Christen laughed back. 

"How about we invite them to the next USWNT game? We're playing in LA again in about a month." 

"That sounds great, Tobs, they'll really appreciate that. They've started watching all your games, you know?" Christen said fondly.

"Really?" 

"Yeah, T. They're really supportive. I know my dad will be getting a jersey for himself." Christen said with a chuckle. 

"Oh I'll get Big Daddy and Stacy their own Heath jerseys. I'll talk to the National Team equipment manager about it." 

"They'll love that, T. Hey, I have to get back to this contract before a meeting. I'll see your gorgeous face tonight?" The lawyer said as she leaned back in her office chair. 

"Yeah, Chris. FaceTime me whenever you and Spence are ready. Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

\---

The next afternoon, Tobin sat in her BMW SUV outside of the airport waiting impatiently for Christen to text her that they were getting off the plane. 

[Christen]: _So close to breathing the same air as you again! Getting off the plane now, have to grab one thing from baggage claim and then we're all yours! xoxo_

[Tobin]: _Yay! I'm more than ready._

10 minutes later, Spencer and Christen were standing and looking at the baggage claim watching as the bags went by, looking for their own. 

Tobin smiled brightly at her two favorite curly haired girls as she walked up behind them, enjoying just watching Spencer chatter up at her mom as they held hands. 

Tobin continued softly walking up behind them and scooped Spencer up quickly, grateful that her backpack was resting at her feet as she scooped her up from behind. 

"Toby!" She squealed joyously as Christen jumped slightly, having been paying more attention to the conveyor belt. 

"Hi ladies." Tobin said happily as she continued to hug Spencer, turning her around so they were face to face. 

"Tobin! You didn't have to come meet us in here." Christen said, turning to hug Tobin tightly, Spencer still in Tobin's arms. 

"I wanted to see you both as soon as possible." She said simply, shrugging her shoulders once Christen pulled back from the hug. 

"You're sweet." The green eyed woman whispered as she caressed Tobin's cheek. "Oh, there's our bag." She added, going over to pick it up. 

"What do you say we go see Portland?" Tobin spoke into Spencer's ear as Christen was grabbing their bag. 

"Yes please! Can we see some fishies?" Spencer asked easily. 

"I think we can make that happen. Ready?" The footballer asked as Christen rejoined them. 

"Yeah, we're good." Christen said happily, picking up Spencer's backpack and slinging it over her shoulder and grabbing onto the rolling bag. 

"I can grab something, honey." The brunette said, holding her hand out in wait. 

Christen smiled at her soulmate's thoughtfulness before she placed her hand into Tobin's outstretched one. 

"Perfect." Christen said with a smug smile as Tobin raised an eyebrow, looking slightly impressed. 

"Very smooth, Press." She winked before she raised the tan hand to her mouth and placed a quick kiss on her hand before she led them out of the airport. 

\---

"Game day!" Spencer said happily as she burst into Tobin's room, having woken up a few minutes earlier. 

Luckily Christen and Tobin were sitting up happily in bed, just chatting and waiting for the youngest person in the apartment to make her presence known. 

"It is game day!" Tobin added happily. "You excited to see a Thorns game?" 

"Yes! And we see Aunt Kelley?" She asked as Christen started nodding. 

"We sure do, bug. She's playing against Tobin's team." 

"Oh no." She said dramatically, causing them both to smile. 

"You can wear whatever jersey you want, Spencer. Heath or O'Hara. They're both great ones. Or we can get you a jersey for another player." Christen said slowly as Tobin nodded along next to her. 

"Of course, Spencer. You can wear your Aunt Kelley's jersey if you want, I won't be upset. I just want you to be happy with whatever you're wearing. Or we can get you a jersey for Aunt Emily if you want." The footballer pitched the idea to the little girl who was currently kneeling on the bed in front of them. 

"I wanna wear yours, Toby. But I don't want Auntie Kelley to be sad." Spencer said, conflicted. 

"You can wear both if you want, Spence. You can wear Kelley's for half and mine for half? Or you can wear Kelley's jersey and a pair of my shorts with #17 on it." 

"Maybe I can wear Auntie Kelley's first and then yours?"

"Of course, kiddo. That sounds great! Your Aunt Kelley will be so happy." Tobin said as she raised a hand for a quick high-five with the little girl. 

"Superstar." Christen said softly once brown eyes met green. 

"I got you both some Thorns jerseys." Tobin said as she continued to look into Christen's eyes. "That way you have USWNT jerseys and Thorns jerseys." 

"Tobin, you didn't need to do that." Christen said as she squeezed Tobin's hand. 

"Gotta have the Press ladies up to date with the fashion." 

\---

"You all set, Spencer?" The mom asked as they were set up in the Thorns box courtesy of Tobin.

"Uh huh." She muttered, already watching the field intensely as the players were warming up. 

"You see Aunt Kelley down there?" The curly haired woman asked as she pointed to her best friend. 

"Yay! And there's Toby!" She added as they both watched the footballer walk onto the pitch, getting ready to start warming up. 

The brunette grabbed a ball and then made her way onto the pitch, turning around to look up into the box and waving happily once she saw Christen and Spencer. 

They all waved excitedly to each other for a few seconds before Kelley ran over to the Thorn and started waving as well. 

Christen smirked as she held up her daughter and pointed to the #5 jersey she was wearing. 

Christen laughed brightly as she watched how excited Kelley was. 

The Royal smirked and then shoved Tobin down on the field. 

"My jersey! Your kid is wearing my jersey?! Oh this is priceless!" Kelley said as she jumped for joy, putting Tobin in a brief headlock out of excitement. 

"Okay, okay. She said she's switching at the 45 mark." Tobin said with a smirk. 

"Yeah, but she chose my jersey first." Kelley added smugly. 

"Gotta save the best for last." Tobin added a wink to her friend before she quickly nutmegged the Royal and then jogged onto the field, leaving Christen and Spencer laughing and Kelley in shock. 

\---

"Can we go onto the field?" Spencer asked happily, bouncing up and down when she saw Tobin look up towards the box after the game had ended. 

The Thorns won 2-1 and Tobin had scored a goal, kicking it backwards into the net like it was nothing before she blew a kiss up to the box where Spencer and Christen were watching, enthralled. 

The footballer waved them down with a bright smile, smiling even brighter when Christen gave a thumbs up and then grabbed Spencer's hand.

"Yeah, bug. Let's go see Tobin and Aunt Kelley." The curly haired woman said happily, remembering the mini-tour Tobin had given them so she'd be able to leave the box and find her way to the field after the game. 

Almost 5 minutes later, Christen wandered onto the field, Spencer running ahead already. She turned around on the field trying to find her soulmate, and smiled when she realized the brunette was signing jerseys and taking pictures with fans on the sidelines. 

"Hey there, Press." She heard from her right, smiling and going over to pull Kelley into a tight hug. 

"Hi Kell. How are you?" She asked sincerely, smiling as her best friend just shrugged. 

"Been better, but it's nice to be in Portland. Emily, you two, Tobin. So it's good." She said simply. 

"You'll be back in LA in about a month is what Tobin said?" 

"Yeah, that sounds right."

"Perfect. Well Stacy and Big Daddy want to see you. I was thinking we could do dinner at my parents? Emily and Tobin are obviously invited."

"That sounds great, Pressy. I'll run it by the ball and chain and let you know." She said with a smirk, looking over at where her soulmate was goofing around with some of the team. 

Kelley and Christen continued to watch Spencer wander around the field kicking different balls with different players, not staying in one place for too long

"Oh shit." Christen heard Kelley said nervously as they watched a rogue ball fly quickly towards Spencer on the other side of the field, the little girl having her back turned to it and kicking a ball in the opposite direction.

"Spence, watch-" Christen managed to shout before Tobin scooped the little girl up and took the full force of the ball, hitting her square in the middle of her back and forcing her forward slightly.

"That's gonna leave a mark." Kelley muttered, glad it was on Tobin instead of Spencer, because it would not have been pretty. 

Luckily Tobin had been within a couple feet of Spencer when she saw the ball coming, happy that she had chosen to stop signing and go join her family when she did. 

"Hey, careful, guys!" Tobin shouted, somewhat angrily, really just worried about the fact that it had almost hit Spencer. 

"Sorry, mom!" Some of the younger players said as they focused on better ball control. 

\---

"You alright, Spence?" Tobin asked as she cradled the little girl. 

"Yeah, Toby. You scored! You see my jersey?" She rambled on, completely unaware that a ball had almost hit her. 

"Don't tell your mom, but I scored that goal for you." She said slyly as she started walking towards Kelley and Christen. 

"I know." Spencer responded quickly, causing the footballer to smile happily. 

"I love you, kid. I'm glad you could come to the game." She said with a kiss to Spencer's temple. 

"I love you too, Toby." She said, grabbing Tobin's cheeks with her little hands before leaning in to kiss her cheek, causing everyone to melt. 

"Quite a save, superstar." Christen said brightly, having calmed down significantly by the time Tobin and Spencer had made it over to them.

"Most important save of the night." She said with a shrug as she set Spencer back down so she could run into Kelley's arms. 

Christen quickly opened her arms and squeezed Tobin happily as soon as they connected. 

"Great game, baby. You played like a champ." She said into her ear, leaving a kiss on her cheek before pulling back. 

"What is this? You switched jerseys on me?" Kelley asked, faking offense once she realized the Thorns jersey the smallest Press was now wearing. 

"Had to be fair, Aunt Kelley." Spencer said sharply as everyone else chuckled. 

"Can you take a picture of us all, Kell?" Christen asked suddenly, taking her phone out of her back pocket. 

"Sure thing."

\---

Hours later, after dinner and a playing a board game at Tobin's apartment, the women had put Spencer to bed and were currently lying in bed together. Christen was lying almost fully on top of Tobin, starting to breathe slower as she got more tired. 

"Hey, Chris?" Tobin whispered, smiling as her soulmate hummed in response. "Would you be okay if I posted a picture of the three of us on my Instagram?" 

"Of course, Tobin. I trust you to not embarrass me with a bad picture." She breathed out into Tobin's neck, both of them chuckling softly. 

"No such thing as a bad picture of you. I just wanted to make sure you were fine with Spencer having her face up on social media." 

"Well I appreciate you asking, but I'm fine with it. Plus, all these thirsty fans need to know that you're taken." The raven haired woman said, only partially joking, as she kissed Tobin's neck, not wanting to move at all. 

\---

After breakfast the next morning, the three of them curled up on the couch together to watch some cartoon Spencer wanted to watch. Christen opened her phone to start scrolling through her social media and smiled brightly once she opened Instagram and had a notification from Tobin. 

She quickly clicked on it and smiled brightly as she looked at a picture of the three of them. Tobin was holding Spencer on her right hip and Christen stood there with one hand wrapped around Tobin's back and her other gently resting on Spencer's back. All of their jerseys were visible and definitely Heath jerseys, much to Kelley's chagrin. 

**Tobin Heath:** The 17s. 

She smiled softly as she read the caption and quickly loved the picture and commented with 3 hearts before she set her phone down and gathered her girls into her arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


	10. Chapter 10

"Toby! You bring me to school?" Spencer asked, happily bouncing around the kitchen on Monday morning. 

Tobin had gotten into town early Saturday afternoon and the whole Press-Heath household was thrilled to have her around for the next 8 days before she'd have to fly back to Portland. 

"Would that be okay with you, Spence?" The footballer asked as she quirked an eyebrow at Christen, who just smiled and nodded. 

"Yes, silly!" The little girl said before she rolled her eyes, causing both the adults to chuckle softly. 

"Well then, I'd love to. Are you almost ready?" She asked, her brown eyes sparkling. 

"Yeah, I need my backpack though." She said as she took off in a run towards her bedroom. 

"We're both thrilled to have you here, obviously." Christen said with a smirk as she walked into Tobin's space, smiling as her girlfriend opened her arms to embrace her. 

"I'm thrilled to be back. I love you both so much." She mumbled into Christen's neck before she started kissing a line up the curly-haired woman's neck, stopping just behind her ear. 

"Toby! I'm ready!" Spencer hollered as she wandered back into the kitchen. "Family hug?" She asked when she saw Tobin and Christen still standing together. 

"Of course, bug. Get in here." Christen unwrapped her arms from Tobin's back so she could pick up her daughter and put her in between them both. 

"Alright, team. I have to get going to work." Christen said as she gave them both one more squeeze and then pulled back from their hug before setting her daughter down. 

"Have a good day, Chris. We'll see you tonight." 

"Can't wait. Hopefully I'll see you at lunch though, babe?" She asked as Tobin smiled brightly, not realizing that her girlfriend had time in her schedule. 

"Of course. I'll be there! I'll text you about it." 

\---

"Mrs. M! Mrs. M!" Spencer shouted, bouncing in place as Tobin kept a strong hold on her hand. 

"Hi there, Spencer! Did you want to introduce me to your friend?" Mrs. Mitchell asked happily. 

"Yes! This is Toby! One day she'll be my mom!" Spencer said so casually as Tobin froze. 

"Hi. Tobin Heath." She said with a shaky smile as she stuck her hand out to meet Mrs. Mitchell's.

"Great to meet you, Tobin. This little one talks about you all the time." She said with a smirk as Tobin scratched the back of her neck nervously. "I'm Kate Mitchell." 

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. Spencer is certainly loving being in your class." Tobin said sincerely as they both looked down at the little girl. 

"Can I go now, Toby? Annie is waiting for me." Spencer asked politely, getting both Tobin and Kate smiling brightly. 

"Of course, Spence. Thank you for asking. I'll see you tonight, kiddo." Tobin said, smiling as Spencer threw herself into a hug. 

\---

Tobin spent the rest of the morning surfing, happy that she'd left a surfboard at Kelley's and was able to fully relax and get back in the water. 

The footballer took her time in the water before she got out, showered, and then got ready to bring some lunch to her soulmate. 

"Tobin." Christen said blissfully as she rolled her chair back to stand up. 

"Hi." The older woman responded as she set the food down on Christen's desk before walking around it to place a soft kiss on her lips, smiling as her soulmate deepened it. 

"How was school this morning?" She asked, knowing how excited Spencer got about school. 

"It was good. Spencer introduced me to her teacher, she was so happy. She's the most precious little girl." 

"She sure is. I bet a little Tobin could rival her though." Christen said without thinking about it. 

"I'm pretty partial to curly haired kids with gorgeous green eyes. Wouldn't be too bad to have more of them around." She said with a blush as Christen smiled shyly. 

"Oh, I talked to my mom a little bit earlier. They were wondering if you'd want to take Spence after school for the week?" She said as they sat down next to each other. "Obviously no pressure, they're happy to take her, they just know you're in town." 

"Chris, it's fine. There's no need to ramble." Tobin said, running her index finger down Christen's cheek gently. 

"Sorry." She blushed.

"I enjoy your rambling, but you don't need to be nervous. There's no pressure. I'd love to pick her up from school this week. You know I always love hanging out with her." 

"I know you do. I just don't want to push you into anything too quickly." She explained as Tobin nodded. 

"You're not, honey. I can't get enough of the Press family, I assure you." 

"Spencer is going to lose her mind when she sees you there this afternoon." Christen added with a smile. "I called the school. You're an emergency contact now, just so you know. That way you're approved for everything, to pick her up, all that." Tobin nodded along slowly. 

"Should I bring her to see your parents? I'm happy to." Tobin asked somewhat insecurely. 

"No, baby. Spend some one-on-one time with our little girl." Christen said softly, reaching out to squeeze Tobin's hand, choosing not to acknowledge Tobin's bulging eyes at her first use of "our" little girl.

"Maybe I'll take her to the boardwalk? Wander around the beach, maybe get some ice cream?" She asked, suddenly nervous about feeling like she has more responsibility and not wanting to bore the little girl. 

"Tobs, she'll love doing anything with you. Don't have too much fun without me though." Christen added with a smirk. 

"We would never. Not without our favorite lady." Tobin said smoothly.

"Good answer, Heath." 

Tobin just smiled at Christen before she winked exaggeratedly, smiling brighter as Christen just tilted her head, her heart eyes going wild. 

"I have to get back to some contract writing, but you're more than welcome to sit and watch." The green-eyed woman said, already knowing what her soulmate's answer would be. 

"As much as I love you, I will drive you crazy because I can't sit still for that long." Tobin said with goofy smile. 

"I know, Tobs. I was just offering. I'll see you both tonight?" 

\---

"Toby!" Spencer skipped over to the footballer happily, only tripping slightly once in all her excitement. 

"Hi pretty girl, how are you?" The brunette said as she caught the launching child and spun them around a few times before placing her back on the ground. 

"You take me home today?" She asked happily as she looked up at the now crouching Tobin.

"This whole week if that sounds okay?" The woman said as her brown eyes met the younger piercing green eyes. 

"Yay! I love Grammy and Grampy, but I always see them. But I love you this much-" She said as she opened her arms as wide as they could go. 

"Well that's lucky for me because I love you this much too." Tobin said as she stretched out her arms as wide as she could go. 

"Oh good." Spencer said easily, raising a chuckle from Tobin. 

"You weren't worried, were you?" Tobin asked, somewhat jokingly. 

"No. I know you love me. It's just good." She said with a shrug that reminded her so much of Christen. 

"Good." Tobin said, leaning forward to place a few quick kisses on Spencer's cheeks. 

"Toby!" She squealed happily as she leaned into the kisses. 

"Oh sorry, wouldn't want to ruin your cool girl reputation. You ready to go?" 

"Yes please! Toby time!" 

"How about a beach date? We can go build some sandcastles, wander around the boardwalk, maybe get some ice cream?" She asked, smiling as Spencer's eyes grew with every word she said. 

"Yay! Yes please!" She answered, quickly grabbing Tobin's hand as she started to pull her out of the courtyard, leaving the woman to wave to Spencer's teacher with a smile. 

\---

"Hi, I hope both my girls are having a great time! I miss you both. Luckily I just finished my day and am getting to head home a little early. I swear it was because of that selfie you sent me of the two of you with your ice cream. Beyond precious. I love you both so much. I'll be home soon." Christen said, smiling as she left the message on Tobin's voicemail since her girlfriend hadn't answered her call. 

20 minutes later, Christen was parking in her garage, happy to see that Tobin's car was in the driveway. 

The lawyer walked into the house and set her stuff down quietly, somewhat surprised to not be hearing any noise. 

As she walked further into the house, she smiled brightly when she saw her soulmate lying on the couch in sweatpants and her Stanford hoodie with a 4 year old lying in her arms, both of them fast asleep. 

The brunette had both of her arms wrapped around the smaller girl, Spencer lying comfortably with her head resting against Tobin's shoulder. 

Both of them remained in a deep sleep, neither of them bothered by any of the noise that Christen made when she came in. The curly-haired woman smiled happily as she watched them for another minute before heading to the kitchen to make some dinner. 

\---

"Hi honey." Tobin said sleepily as she shuffled into the kitchen rubbing her eyes slightly about 15 minutes after Christen got home. 

"Hi Tobs. You two looked so comfy, I didn't want to disturb you." Christen said quietly as she opened her arms for the sleepy woman to walk in to. 

"You didn't, I just woke up and then I heard you in here. So I left Spencer sleeping on the couch." 

"You had a good afternoon with her, then?" She asked, somewhat rhetorically as she felt Tobin nod before she stepped back from their hug, still keeping her hands resting on her girlfriend's arms. 

"We had a great day, Chris. She's an incredible little girl. She's just so good." 

"I know, I got so lucky with her." 

"You did get lucky, but you also put in the work and it's no surprise that she's as kind and loving as her mom." Tobin said with a kiss to Christen's lips. 

"She loves you so much, Tobs. We both do." The lawyer said simply. 

"I love you both more than I ever thought possible."

"Good thing we're yours then, huh?" 

"I'm the luckiest person ever." Tobin added firmly. 

"We all are. Never thought I'd say this, but thank you Kelley for basically introducing us." Christen said with a laugh as Tobin smiled brightly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support! I hope you liked it!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello! Sorry for taking so long to update, school got in the way. Here's some angst, but it's really only sticking around for this chapter. With everything going on in the world, I'm on a happy kick (besides this chapter) because I think it's important to get to escape your mind sometimes. Enjoy!

Tobin was sitting on the ground in Christen's living room currently drawing some designs in her notebook. It was hard to believe that it was already Wednesday, but she was loving all of her time with the Press family. 

The footballer had dropped Spencer off earlier that morning, run around with a football for a while, showered, and had moved to the living room after eating lunch. 

She was in the middle of shading in part of her design when her phone rang. 

She quickly looked down at Christen's big event for the day and saw _Important client meeting_ on her arm, which she already knew as her girlfriend had been talking about it for days. 

Once she picked up her phone she realized it was an unknown number and not a call from her soulmate. 

"Hello?" She said quickly once she accepted the call. 

"Hi, Miss Heath? It's Kate Mitchell, Spencer's teacher. I'm so sorry to have to call you." She said, somewhat frantically. 

"That's okay, no worries. Is Spencer okay?" Tobin asked, assuming she wasn't as she heard her favorite little Press sobbing in the background. 

"She was running around with friends over lunch and tripped and took a spill and smacked her arm on one of the bars on the playground. We think it's broken." She said hurriedly. 

"Shit. Do you need me to pick her up? Or meet you at the hospital?" Tobin asked, having already hopped up to run and grab her keys, making her way to the car as soon as possible. 

"She doesn't want to move right now. Would you be able to come get her? We called Christen, but she's not picking up. We also called her grandparents and they didn't pick up either." 

"Of course. I'll be there in 10 minutes, I'm already in the car. Christen has an important meeting today, so her phone is off. Do you mind calling her parents again in a little bit to see if they'll pick up?" Tobin asked as she began driving to the school. 

"Of course. Again, I'm so sorry about the circumstances. We of course would take her to the hospital, but she starts screaming if try to move her. I don't know if it's because it's not a family member or if she's just that painful." Kate said quickly. 

"Of course, I'm sure she's just in pain and freaked out. Can you tell her that I'll be there as soon as possible?" Tobin asked, hanging up once she heard Kate agree. 

\---

Tobin jogged into the pre-school classroom, making her way out back to the playground when she heard Spencer crying. 

"Hi, Spence. I'm so sorry, baby." The brunette said as she jogged up behind the little girl, nodding quickly in Kate's direction. 

"Toby." She said pitifully as she looked up at Tobin, her green eyes filled with tears that broke Tobin's heart. 

"It sounds like you took a pretty big spill, kiddo. How about we go get it checked out at the doctor? They can probably get you something to help with how ouchy it is." The brunette said softly as she rubbed Spencer's back, the little girl's sobs slowing only slightly. 

"It hurts, Toby." She whined when she accidentally jostled it.

"I know, buddy, I'm so sorry. How about you let the nurse put something around it and then we can go? Or do you just want to go?"

"I wanna go." She sniffled, reaching up to clutch Tobin's sweatshirt with her left hand. 

"Okay, Spence. We'll go. I'm gonna pick you up, but it might hurt, okay?" Tobin warned as Spencer nodded slowly. 

Tobin gently picked the little girl up, trying to grab her in places furthest away from her already swollen right arm. 

The little curly-haired girl cried out when Tobin picked her up, starting to cry again as she was able to tuck her head into Tobin's neck. 

"I'm so sorry, buddy. I'm so sorry." She whispered, wincing as she thought about how much pain the little girl must be in. 

She quickly walked them out to her car and got her settled in her car seat, the little girl whimpering softly, exhausted. 

"Spence, we're gonna be at the hospital so quickly and they'll help with your arm, okay?" She said, more to herself, as she took off driving. 

\---

An hour later, Spencer had been give some strong pain medication and had been taken for x-rays, Tobin near tears as she heard the little girl crying out for her as a nurse wheeled her off to take the x-rays. 

The little girl was wheeled back into her hospital bay soon after her x-rays were finished and immediately made a grabby hand motion with her uninjured hand. 

Tobin quickly scooped up the little girl as fast and gently as possible. 

"The doctor will be in soon." The nurse, Allie, said with a smile and nod as she closed the curtain. 

The footballer was softly rubbing Spencer's back, her left hand tangled again in Tobin's sweatshirt, her now splinted right arm resting softly against Tobin's left arm. 

The brunette felt her phone vibrating and briefly stopped rubbing Spencer's back to pick it up, frowning when it wasn't Christen, but grateful to see Stacy's name pop up. 

"Hi Stacy." 

"Tobin, hi. I'm so sorry, Cody and I were at lunch with friends and didn't have our phones on loud." 

"That's okay. I've got it handled, but I'm sure Spencer would love to see you."

"Perfect, because we're just pulling up to the parking lot now." 

"Great, we're in one of the bays in the ER. If you walk into the ER, they'll point you in the right direction." 

\---

"Hi Tobin." Stacy and Cody said at the same time as they peeked behind the curtain, trying to be as quiet as possible. 

"Hi." She said softly as Spencer turned her head slightly. "Spence, Grammy and Grampy are here. You want to say hi?" Tobin asked as the little girl nodded into her neck. 

Tobin gently turned the little girl around so she was facing her grandparents, Spencer breaking her hold on Tobin's sweatshirt as she was turned, quickly regaining her hold once she was settled again. 

"Hi, sweetie. You're having quite the hard day, aren't you?" Stacy said slowly as she squeezed the little girl's calf. 

"It hurts, Grammy." Spencer said pitifully as she nodded slowly as Tobin dropped a kiss on her head. 

"Does it feel better than earlier?" She asked, knowing that her granddaughter had been put on some strong pain medications. 

"Yeah, a lot better." She answered, her curly hair bouncing as she nodded.

"You've been so strong, huh, Spence? You've been so brave." Tobin said to the Press parents, but mostly to the little girl in her arms. 

"You're a tough cookie for sure, Spencer. I remember breaking my ankle and it was so painful, I was never as tough as you are right now." Cody said softly to the little girl, smirking as she just shrugged. 

The little girl was starting to drift off again, exhausted after her stressful day and her strong pain medication. 

"Thank you for being there for her, Tobin." Stacy said honestly as Tobin just nodded. 

"Nowhere I'd rather be. She's a tough kid." Tobin said with a sad smile. 

"She reminds me so much of Mo." Cody said fondly as Stacy nodded. 

"She has a clean break in her radius and ulna. The plan is to cast it, we're just waiting for them to get all the casting material ready I guess. Then she should be good to go home." Tobin added as she looked down at the sleeping girl. 

"And Christen is at work?" Stacy asked, confirming what she already knew. 

"Yeah, she had this big client pitch that she's been talking about for days. I didn't know if I should call the office and have them grab her or not. I thought that since we have this handled, I'd just wait until she gets out of the meeting and calls back?" The footballer said, somewhat questioningly. 

"I agree. We have Spencer covered and she should be able to do her job." Cody added as Stacy nodded, knowing how hard Christen had worked to get to where she was professionally. 

"She'll be upset, but as long as Spencer is cared for, she should be okay." The Press matriarch said. 

\---

An hour later, Tobin was walking out of the ER doors, cradling Spencer in her arms. The little girl leaving with a hard cast on her right arm. After much debate and consideration, the green eyed child decided on a red cast, having considered purple as well. 

Cody and Stacy walked them both to Tobin's car before they were assured that the footballer was okay on her own, leaving her with a strong hug from each of them. 

Tobin had just pulled into Christen's driveway and had Spencer in her arms when her phone started to vibrate. 

The brunette shifted the little girl slightly, just enough to reach her back pocket to grab her phone, answering the call and placing her phone between her ear and shoulder so she could unlock the front door. 

"Chris?" She started before a frantic voice cut her off. 

"Oh my gosh! Tobin! Is she okay? I'm so sorry, my meeting went way longer than it was supposed to and I had left my phone in my office. She's okay, right?" The lawyer spewed off quickly. 

"Breathe, Chris. She's okay, I promise. It was a break just like they thought, but she's all casted up and on some pain meds now. I'm literally walking through your front door now. She's asleep and exhausted, but she's so tough." Tobin assured her girlfriend. 

"I hate that I wasn't there for her." Christen said, her voice cracking. 

"I know, honey. I'm sorry. We had it handled though. I picked her up at school and your parents met us at the hospital." 

"I know. She's lucky to have you." Christen said as she sniffled. 

"Are you done with work, Chris? It sounds like you'd like to come home." Tobin asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm walking out to the car now. There's no way I'm staying at work. I'll be home as soon as possible." 

"I was going to let Spencer sleep until you get back. I was thinking I'll pick up something for dinner and get ice cream." Tobin said as Christen hummed in agreement. 

"Okay, I'll be home soon." Christen said as she closed her car door. 

"Drive safely, Chris. I love you." 

"Love you, too." She responded before they both hung up. 

\---

Christen stormed through the door as quietly as possible, wanting to see her daughter with her own eyes. Her mom had texted her a picture of Tobin with her eyes closed, cradling a sleeping Spencer while she still just had the splint on her arm. While she saw that her daughter was physically okay in the picture, she needed to see her in person. 

She found her two girls on the couch in the living room, Spencer lying on Tobin's chest, her tiny little head resting in the crook of her girlfriend's neck. 

After breathing a little easier, she made her way around the couch and picked up her little girl, careful not to jostle her too much. The little girl didn't react at all as her mom picked her up. 

Tobin woke up with a startle as the little girl was lifted out of her arms. 

"Oh. Chris. Hi. How are you?" She asked as she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. 

"Better now." Her soulmate responded as she shifted from side to side, still cradling her baby. 

"I'm sorry, Chris." Tobin said as she watched her girlfriend touch the cast on her daughter's arm softly. 

"It's not your fault. I'm just glad she's okay. This is her first big injury." She whispered, her green eyes filling with tears. 

"She's a tough kid, Chris." The footballer said as she walked over to the two Press ladies and pulled them into a hug. 

"I hate this. I don't want her to be in pain." She whimpered, tears finally falling from her eyes. 

"I know, honey. I'm sorry. I wish I could take her pain away. She feels a lot better now though than she did earlier, so it's a start." Tobin said as she leaned back and wiped the tears off of Christen's cheeks. 

"Thank you for taking care of her." 

"Of course, Chris. How about you two get settled on the couch and I'll head out and pick up some dinner and ice cream?" 

"Okay, thank you." The lawyer said as she moved to sit back on the couch, still holding her daughter tightly. 

"I'll be back as soon as possible. Her pain meds are on the kitchen counter, but she's not due for another hour. I have my phone, so just call me if you need anything." Tobin said, making sure that Christen had her phone sitting next to her on the couch. 

"Love you." The woman said, her green eyes meeting Tobin's brown. 

"I love you, too."

\---

After all three girls ate pizza for dinner and ice cream for dessert in front of the TV (Spencer having chosen Mulan for the night), they were all in Spencer's bedroom reading a book. The little girl had taken her liquid medication like a champ and had fallen asleep 1/3 of the way into the book, still exhausted by the day. 

"Why didn't you call my office and have them pull me out of the meeting?" Christen asked softly once the women left Spencer's bedroom and began getting ready for bed in Christen's bedroom. 

"Because I knew how important this meeting was to you and I had it handled. She had your parents there, she had me there. She was okay and I wanted you to be able to do your job, Spencer understood that." Tobin said with a shrug. 

"That's not your call to make, you're not her mom." Christen said sharply as she threw her hands up in the air, quickly covering her mouth as soon as she realized what she had said. 

"Wow." Is all Tobin is able to say. 

"Fuck. I didn't mean that. Tobin-" She started before Tobin cut her off. 

"That's really what you want to say?" The brunette asked incredulously, tears starting to form in her eyes. 

"I did not mean that in any way. You know, *you know* what I just said is not true." Christen emphasized after Tobin turned around. 

"Well you must have if you said it." Tobin said as she looked around the room. 

"Tobin, please. I need you to know that I did not mean that." Christen pleaded. "What are you looking for?" She asked as Tobin continued to search the room.

"I can't be here right now, Christen." Tobin said briskly before she finally spotted her keys on the dresser. 

"Baby, please don't. Can you please just stay? At least in the guest room? Please?" The green eyed woman begged, her eyes starting to water. 

"I'll spend the night at Kelley's apartment. If I stay here right now then I'll say something I regret and I don't want that." Tobin explained with a shrug, shrugging off Christen's hand as she tries to grasp Tobin's arm. 

"Please, say something awful to me, it'll make me feel better. Do something, but please don't go." 

"I would never hurt you on purpose, Christen. I'll see you in the morning." The footballer said quickly as she walked out of Christen's bedroom and shut the door behind her. 

Christen sat down on her bed heavily before she broke down crying, covering her face with her hands. 

"Fuck." She said before she looked down and was reminded of Tobin's good thing for that day, _Make Spencer laugh_ , and continued crying. 

Tobin had sighed heavily as soon as she shut the door and then walked to Spencer's room, shaking her head in disbelief. 

"I love you, buddy." She whispered as she crouched down to kiss Spencer's forehead as the little girl slept soundly. 

\---

[Christen]: _I respect your decision to not stay the night, but Tobin, I need you to know how sorry I am._

[Christen]: _I said it in the heat of the moment and there's no backing to it. You mean everything to the both of us and I need you to know that. I think we need to talk about this in person tomorrow though._

[Christen]: _I love you so much. So. Much._

[Tobin]: _I love you too._

\---

"Hi honey, how is Spencer doing?" Stacy asked once she picked up the phone. 

"She's fine." Christen said quickly, glad her mom picked up the phone. "Mom, I messed up." She said before she broke down into tears again. 

"Oh Christen. What happened, honey?" Stacy asked immediately, her voice soft. 

"I asked Tobin why she didn't call the office when my phone was off. She could have called them and they would've found me and pulled me out of the meeting. They know all about Spencer." 

"Oh Christen. We all tried to reach you once we got to the hospital and Tobin told us that you had a huge meeting today and that's why you had your phone off." Stacy said calmly. 

"I could have still been reached though. Especially when it's about my baby." Christen said, her voice cracking slightly. 

"I know, Christen. Tobin knew that and was ready to call your office and your father and I told her not to worry about it. She had that little girl calmed down and happy, she was laughing again as she sat there in Tobin's arms."

"I still would've dropped everything for her." Christen said firmly. 

"I know, honey. You shouldn't have to though, that's why you have me, your dad, and Tobin. Of course Spencer loves you more than anything, but we had everything handled and we figured you'd get out of your meeting soon. We are all so supportive and proud of you, Christen. We're here to support you and Spencer."

"I know, and I appreciate that more than anything. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you." The green eyed woman said sincerely. 

"Plus, you have my word that if it had been more serious, we would've obviously made sure you were pulled out of the meeting. By the time your dad and I got there, Tobin had everything under control and Spencer had been given some good drugs and was getting her cast."

"I just like to be there for her." She said, somewhat pouting. 

"I know you do, but you're not always going to be able to. And that doesn't make you any less of a mom. You are such an amazing mom and I just want you to have comfort and faith in Tobin. I know you've only been dating a few months, but she loves Spencer and Spencer loves her. I know you both love each other and she's a great one." Stacy said strongly as Christen let out a sob. 

"I told her that she's not Spencer's mom." The curly haired woman managed to spit out as her voice cracked again. 

Stacy sighed heavily after she processed what her daughter had said. 

"Oh." Was all she managed to say. 

"It was obviously the stupidest thing I've ever said and I really didn't mean it. Spencer loves her so much and I would love for her to be Spencer's other mom." Christen admitted for the first time out loud. 

"Let me ask you a question. Do you currently see her as a co-parent or as a babysitter?" Stacy asked casually as Christen groaned. 

"Shit. I'm an asshole. I obviously see her as a co-parent already." She said, slapping her forehead. 

"Does Tobin know that?" 

"I don't know." Her voice cracked. "Probably not now." 

"Well it sounds like there's a conversation you need to have then." Stacy said in her motherly tone.

"You're right. She went to spend the night at Kelley's apartment, so it'll have to wait." Christen said slowly before sighing heavily. 

"It's okay, honey. You both love each other and you can get it all worked out. I believe in you both." 

"Thanks, mom. And thank you for all the help." 

"Of course, Christen. I love you."

"I love you, too." She said before they hung up and she went in to go look at her sleeping daughter.

\---

Christen and Tobin both tossed and turned all night long, only managing to get a small amount of sleep.  
  
The lawyer was up and doing some yoga and meditation earlier than usual, but thoughts were constantly flying through her brain and she wanted them to calm down. 

Tobin had gotten up bright and early and went to go kick a ball around the park, glad that Kelley had some soccer balls lying around her apartment. 

"Hey, Tobs." Tobin heard as the call went through as she held her phone with one hand, still dribbling the ball. 

"Hi Cheney. Are you busy?" 

"Nope, what's up, Tobin?" 

"Well. Christen and I got into a fight last night and I just need to vent for a minute before I go back to her house." 

"Of course, Tobin. You okay?" 

"I will be. It obviously upset me, but I'll get over it. So Spencer got hurt on the playground yesterday and broke her arm." 

"Oh, poor baby. How's she doing?" Cheney awwed softly. 

"She's a champ. She's already turned around and is acting like nothing happened. She's such a fiery little mini-Chris. It's amazing to watch." Tobin gushed, Cheney melting on the other side of the line. 

"You sound really happy, Tobs." She commented softly. 

"I am, Cheney, I am." 

"Sorry, continue with the story." 

"So Chris had this important work meeting and I'd been added to the emergency list for Spencer at school because I'm on a bye week and have been picking her up from school. So I got called because Chris had her phone off and her parents didn't answer." 

"Okay." Cheney said, just wanting to assure her friend that she was listening. 

"So I grabbed Spencer from school and took her to the hospital. Luckily Cody had called the school back a little while after they left him a message. So they eventually met me at the hospital too. Everything was fine, Spencer was good, obviously painful, but it was getting managed."

"That sounds like a stressful day." 

"Yeah, it wasn't the best, but we managed. So I'd gotten Spence home and Christen finally called me back and was on her way home, but I assured her that everything had been handled and we were good."

"Sure, it sounds like she was lucky to have you there." 

"Well it was all fine until we put Spencer to bed and then were getting ready to go to bed. I don't know what happened, Cheney. She was so thankful earlier that I had been there for Spencer and then she was just upset." 

"About what?" Cheney asked calmly, trying to understand the situation. 

"Chris asked why I didn't call her office directly and have her pulled out of her meeting." Tobin said quickly. "So I told her that we all had it handled and Spencer was fine. She then said that it wasn't my call to make because I'm not her mom." 

"Tobin, I'm sorry. That sounds like a stressful day for everyone." 

"It sucked. I didn't mean anything by it, it wasn't a dig that she wasn't there, I understand having work obligations. I don't want to fight with her, but I also don't want to just be a babysitter to my soulmate's kid, you know? I'd like the potential for some parental responsibility here. And I think I've been showing that I can handle it." 

"You can definitely handle it, Tobs. Spencer and Christen would both be lucky to have you around as a mom and second parent." 

"But?" Tobin prompted, sensing her friend had more to say. 

"But, Spencer is Christen's baby and she was probably scared as all get out that she wasn't available to be there when her kid needed her. Look, being a parent changes you and you feel this love in a way you didn't even realize was possible. I'm betting that she's more upset with herself for not being able to be there. And she's maybe a little jealous that you could be there and calm Spencer down and comfort her." 

"Oh." Tobin added softly. "I guess that makes sense. Especially because she looked really upset as soon as she said it." 

"Tobs, I'm sure she loves you so much and wants you to be in Spencer's life as more than a babysitter. You just have to give her some time to talk and let her get everything out in the open." 

"What if she doesn't though, Cheney? Admittedly I wasn't thrilled when I found out my soulmate was pregnant all those years ago."

"You were devastated." Cheney interjected, remembering how she had to help pick Tobin up off the floor and be a strong part of her support system for a while. 

"I was devastated. I was so jealous that someone else knocked up my soulmate. That I wasn't going to be able to experience all these things with her. But then I met them, Cheney." Tobin exhaled strongly. "And they're everything. I've never loved anything more than I love the two of them. I know it hasn't been long, but I think of Spencer as my own." 

"I'm really happy for you, Tobin. You deserve all this happiness, this is just a minor speed bump. I honestly think once you talk it out with her, everything will be much clearer." 

"Thank you, Cheney, I really appreciate it." 

"Anytime, Tobs. Don't be a stranger. Go get your girls." She added, smiling as Tobin hummed and then hung up. 

\---

The footballer set her phone down and played a singles game of soccer for a few more minutes before she jogged back to her phone, finally ready to go see the Press family. She smiled softly as her phone lit up with a text from Christen from a few minutes earlier. 

[Christen]: _Come over whenever you're ready, please. I love you._

[Tobin]: _Just about to leave the park, I'll be over soon._

Tobin arrived a few minutes later and knocked on the front door softly. 

"Hi, Tobin." Christen said softly once she opened the door, her shoulders sagging a little with disappointment that her girlfriend didn't feel comfortable enough letting herself in with her own key. 

"Hi, Chris." The brunette said as she stepped into the house, sticking her hands in her pockets awkwardly. 

"Spence was asking for you this morning. She's watching cartoons." Christen said as she barely made eye contact with Tobin.

"I'll go say hi to her." 

"Then can you meet me out on the patio? I just made coffee for us." 

"Sure, Chris." Tobin said with a nod, making her way into the living room. 

Christen's heart crushed as she heard her daughter excitedly squeal at Tobin's arrival and Tobin's happiness at seeing Spencer, feeling worse about the words that she had said. 

\---

"Tobin, I can't even begin to convey to you how sorry I am. There's no excuse for it and I didn't mean it, and I just feel horrible." The curly haired woman rushed out as soon as her soulmate sat down at the patio table in the chair across from her. 

"It's okay, Chris." Tobin said with a shrug as she made eye contact with her favorite green eyes. 

"It's not, Tobin. It's not okay. I don't want to be that couple that hurts each other. I was out of line and I'd never been so worried about Spencer and I took it out on you in the most awful way possible and I know I can't take those words back, but I can assure you that I don't mean them."

"I'm not her mom though, Chris." Tobin added simply. "I love her more than anything, but you're right, I'm not her mom. But where do I fit in here? Do you just see me as a babysitter? Because that's what it felt like."

"Tobin." She breathed out, her eyes becoming glassy again. "Of course not. You're in no way her babysitter. For the past two months I haven't considered myself a single mom anymore, you've been parenting her with me and I've loved every second of it. I'm so sorry, I didn't even think about how it could seem to you or that it was even a worry you had." 

"I know we haven't been dating long, but we're soulmates and it's different." Tobin said, unsure of what else to add.

"It is different and I'm not scared by how quickly we're moving or how much I want a life with you. I love our relationship and I love your relationship with Spencer. I know we're not there yet, but I want you to adopt her eventually if that's what you want." 

"Is that really what you want though?" Tobin asked insecurely as she picked at the Nike sign on her shorts. 

"More than anything. I want us to be the Heath Family and I would love for you to adopt her. You're already her other mom in her eyes, and mine, and you have been for a while. I'm an idiot and I panicked because I wasn't there, but I'm so grateful you were, because she needed you." 

"I'll always be there for her. And you." Tobin said as she stared into Christen's eyes deeply. 

"I know you will. You've proven that and I fully trust you with everything I have. I need you to understand that." The lawyer added, her hand over her heart. 

"I do, Christen. And I know it's a big change. Going from single mom to all soulmated up. That's a lot and I can't imagine how that feels. I was very upset last night, but I'm not upset this morning. I understand what was going on and I'm not mad. I just don't want to have anything like that thrown in my face again. If you have something to say that's potentially going to hurt, maybe roll it out in a nicer way." The lanky brunette said with a smirk, already back to her chill ways. 

"Of course, baby. Of course, but it won't be happening, because I don't actually have those feelings, I just lost my mind for a bit. If it helps, I'll never forgive myself." She added, sniffling slightly as she went to wipe her eyes. 

"That doesn't help at all. I forgive you, I'm not upset anymore, and I don't want you to punish yourself. Growing pains, remember? We're still figuring each other and everything else out." Tobin said as she stood up and walked around the table to pull her girlfriend up and into a hug, smiling as Christen threw herself into her arms. 

"I love you so much, Tobin." 

"I love you too, Christen."

"You're the best thing that has happened to me and Spencer. I promise you that." 

"Likewise, Chris. I feel the same." She added, about to continue talking when they heard Spencer shout for them. 

"You okay, bug?" Christen asked as she walked through the backdoor. 

"Toby, you said you'd draw on my arm." She said simply as Tobin smiled brightly. 

"Oh right. Very important artwork has to go into this." Tobin said seriously as Spencer agreed. 

"I'll go get you some sharpies." Christen said before she started to walk away, before being pulled back by Tobin. 

The footballer quickly gave her soulmate a peck on the lips and flashed her a smile. 

"We're good, I promise." She assured the brunette one more time, enjoying how Christen's shoulders softened and she became more relaxed. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking ages to update! Started an internship a few months ago and its sometimes 60-80+ hours a week. I hope you enjoy! I really don't know where I'm heading with this story.

Three weeks later, everything was back to usual in the Press household, aside from Spencer's still casted arm. Tobin had returned back to Portland after her week off and had only been able to see the Press ladies once in the last 2 weeks as she'd been traveling for the other weekend. 

However, she was back in town for a USWNT game, much to the excitement of Christen and her daughter. She'd flown in late Thursday afternoon and by Friday evening, Spencer was comfortably resting on the couch watching Rugrats in Paris as Christen began making dinner, both of them waiting for Tobin to get home. 

Tobin hadn't realized how much stress she actually carried in regards to her relationship with Spencer and wanting to be a mother figure, but not knowing if she could act on it. Since their conversation, they were all significantly less stressed and had more peace of mind after having everything out in the open. 

Tobin had texted Christen when she was on her way back to the house and that was when Christen started dinner.

Luckily it was a later film review and the three of them were able to take Spencer for a walk on the beach earlier before Tobin had to go. 

The smallest Press was adamant that she could build a sandcastle with her cast, but Tobin and Christen both disagreed, not wanting the little girl to get sand all in her cast. Luckily, all Tobin had to do was bring up the fact that she didn't want all of Spencer's cast artwork to get ruined and that made the little girl rethink her sandcastle idea. 

As Christen was in the kitchen thinking about that morning, she was broken out of her daydreaming by the sound of Tobin's key in the front door. Normally they would have all received a 'hello' from Tobin as she walked in the house, but instead Christen could hear her girlfriend on the phone.   
  
"I know you do. You will. Yes, soon." Tobin said, chuckling into her phone as she walked into the house, kissing Christen lightly on the cheek as her girlfriend stood in front of the stove. The raven haired woman tilted her head in curiosity. "I promise, mom. You will meet Christen and your granddaughter soon." Tobin said, throwing a wink in Christen's direction as she watched her smile grow. 

"I actually just got home. Yes, I'm looking at Christen right now and I'm being rude. Well you keep talking, or I would've hung up before I got home." She rambled off with a laugh as Christen watched her fondly. 

The younger woman could sense the conversation was coming to an end and held out her hand with a smirk, nodding to the phone that Tobin was holding. 

"One sec, mom." The brunette said with a smile, quickly placing the phone in her girlfriend's hand after she kissed her palm. 

"Hi, Cindy. How are you?" She said sweetly, causing Tobin to shake her head as she heard her mom's excited response in the background. 

Tobin wrapped her arms around Christen's waist and then slowly pointed her in the direction of the stools in the kitchen, that way she could sit and chat while Tobin picked up cooking where Christen had left off. 

Cindy had FaceTimed them all before, especially once Spencer's artwork on her cast was completed. She had also chatted with Christen on multiple occasions and was eager to meet both of the Press ladies. Cindy had recently started referring to Spencer as her granddaughter and Tobin smiled as she watched Christen gush to Cindy about her daughter. 

10 minutes later, Christen was handing the phone back to Tobin so she could say bye to her mom before hanging up the phone. 

"She really loves you." Tobin said with a smile as she opened her arms to the lawyer in front of her, Christen walking into her embrace quickly. 

"She seems great. She's obviously great if she raised you." The curly haired woman said as she left kisses along Tobin's neck. "She wants to know when she can come visit." 

"I know. She's dying to meet you both in person." Tobin said, leaning into Christen and tilting her head so the lawyer could continue kissing her neck. 

"Well she's welcome to come whenever, Tobs." Christen said softly before she tilted her girlfriend's face towards her, meeting her favorite brown eyes happily. 

"She normally likes to stay for a week or so when she comes out, so how about I have her come out in 3 weeks when you two are planning to come up to Portland for a game? That way she's not in your hair and you can meet her for the weekend?" Tobin pitched as Christen smiled. 

"That sounds great, babe. We'll all have a good time I'm sure." 

"She's going to spoil Spencer, I hope you know that. You should see her with Katie and Perry's kids." Tobin added with a chuckle. 

"It's a grandma's right to spoil her grandkids." Christen said with a shrug and a smirk, grateful that she could now refer to her daughter as theirs, like she'd been wanting to. "I can't imagine how she'll be when there are some baby Heaths around." Christen said aimlessly, knowing they both wanted more kids. 

"The same as she is with Spencer, very invested and a little crazy." Tobin joked. "Chris, she already loves Spencer as much as she loves my nieces and nephews, I promise." The brunette said, rubbing Christen's back. 

"I'd like to meet your siblings too eventually." Christen said, trying to blink the tears out of her eyes. 

"Of course. Maybe you can come out the next time we play back home? My sisters have been dying to meet you." Tobin said, smiling as Christen softly kissed her cheek and nodded against her. 

"That sounds great, Tobs." 

"Toby! I here too!" They heard being shouted from the living room, both of them laughing happily. 

"Well. The sassiest one has spoken." Christen joked as Tobin laughed and squeezed her hip. 

"You're right, you did just speak." The brunette responded, smiling brightly when Christen looked offended. "Love you, Chris. I'll go say hi to the mini-Press." 

\---

Stacy and Cody were knocking on Christen's door at 11am on Saturday morning, having planned to have lunch together before leaving for Tobin's game. 

"Hi! You know you guys can use your key." Christen said happily as she answered the door, pulling each of her parents in for a hug. 

"We didn't want to interrupt anything." Stacy said cryptically as Cody looked uncomfortable. 

"Oh please. What do you think we're doing with our kid running around the house? Tobin has been forced to help Spencer choose what outfit she's wearing for the day. It's been 30 minutes so far." Christen said with a chuckle as they all walked further into the house. 

"Grammy! Grampy!" Spencer shouted happily as she finally ran out of her room, happily sporting #17 shorts, a Heath jersey, Nike socks, the tiniest and cutest all black velcro Vans, and a Thorns baseball cap that Tobin had gotten her after Spencer realized all of Tobin's were too big for her. 

"Look at you, superstar! You're all ready!" Cody said as his granddaughter launched into his arms. 

"Yay for Toby!" The little girl said happily as Tobin wandered to greet them, having stayed back to clean up Spencer's room a little bit beforehand since they'd gotten clothes everywhere. 

"Hi everyone." The footballer said as she walked out in a white t-shirt and ripped jeans, her bare feet hitting the wood floor lightly. 

"Hi Tobin, thanks for inviting us to the game today." Cody said with a clap to her back.  
  
"Of course! Sorry it's taken so long. If you enjoy it, I can get you tickets for whenever really." She said with a shrug before getting pulled into a hug by Stacy. 

"I'm sure it'll be a blast. It's all Spencer's been talking about for days." Stacy said happily. 

"Not wearing anything for Aunt Kelley today, kiddo?" Christen asked with a smirk, knowing Kelley would be annoyed. 

"Chris." Tobin whined softly, having spent 10 minutes talking it through with the little girl, Spencer having wanted to wear all Heath things and Tobin gently suggesting at least one thing of KO's. 

"Sorry, babe." She said quickly as she looked down at her daughter. 

"Toby is Toby. She's my favorite." She said easily before she turned around and walked to the living room, leaving everyone to do some sort of a chuckle and smile. 

"Good thing she's my favorite, too." Tobin said with a smile, it growing bigger when Christen slapped her arm gently. "My favorite child, that is." She said with a wink before they all started walking to the living room to find Spencer. 

"So we were thinking of going out to lunch? Tobin has to drive separately because she'll go straight to the stadium to watch some film before the game, but we can come back home and hang out before we need to be there." Christen explained as her parents nodded along. 

"Sounds great, Mo. We're ready whenever you are." Cody added as Tobin walked back to Christen's bedroom to get her shoes and make sure she had everything she needed for the game. 

\---

The Press-Heath families had made their way to lunch, Spencer riding with Tobin because she didn't want her to be lonely. After eating, Tobin had excused herself to head to the stadium, leaving the Press family still visiting at the restaurant. 

After Tobin kissed Spencer and Christen and hugged both Press parents, she made her way to the stadium with a promise to see them all later. 

The footballer made it to her car in the parking lot before remembering that she'd gotten something for Cody and Stacy. The brunette quickly grabbed the jerseys from the front seat and made her way back to the restaurant. 

"Hi, T. Did you forget something?" Christen asked with a soft smile, always happy to see her girlfriend.

"Me!" Spencer shouted happily as she threw her arms up. 

"Pretty close, Spence." The brunette said with a chuckle as she squeezed Spencer's shoulder. "I forgot to give you both your jerseys!" The footballer said with a bright smile as she handed one to Stacy and one to Cody.  
  
"Well look at that." Cody said with a bright smile as he unfolded his #17 jersey. 

"You don't have to wear them if you don't want, but they're all yours." 

"Of course we'll wear them, Tobin." Stacy assured her. 

"Obviously. Especially if KO will see us." Big Daddy said with a sly smile as Stacy rolled her eyes. 

"That's what I like to hear." Tobin said brightly. "Okay, now I have to actually go. Enjoy the game everyone, I'll see you all afterwards." She said, kissing her girls one last time before she leaves. 

\---

"Does Chris know?" Ali asked as she shoved Tobin happily, having seen Tobin's jersey hanging up. 

"No, I wanted it to be a surprise." Tobin said with a smile. "Did I mess up? Should I have asked her?" She asked, her smile dropping quickly. 

"No, Tobs. You did good. She's going to flip." Ali said brightly, squeezing Tobin's shoulder. "She's going to cry."

"Well I don't want her to cry." Tobin said, exasperated. "And her parents are here at the game! What was I thinking? Maybe I can get the name switched." She rambled on as Ali rolled her eyes. 

"A good cry, Tobs. She's going to be so touched and her parents will be so thrilled that their daughter is loved as much as she is. Don't change anything." The older woman said as she squeezed Tobin's shoulder. 

"It's true though. I do really look up to her as an athlete and a person. I'm not just doing this because I love her. She's incredible and such a boss badass." The footballer said simply as she threw in a shrug. 

"I know and everyone else knows that she's a boss. I'm so happy for you both Tobin. Honestly." 

"Thanks, Ali." The lankier woman smiled sincerely. "Hey, can I ask you a question?" She said quietly, looking around the room and noticing that everyone was busy talking about something else. 

"Of course." 

"When Ash proposed to you, did your arm ruin the surprise of it? Did you have engagement or proposal or something written on your arm?" Tobin asked, not paying attention to Ali's eyes softening quickly. 

"Nope, the only reason I knew something was up was because she was nervous. My arm just said my name and she had her name on her arm. We were both each other's happy thing for the day." Ali said, blushing slightly. 

"Great, thank you, Ali." Tobin beamed at her. "Are you each other's happy things a lot? Chris and I have been a few times. Gotta say, it's weird having Tobin written on my own arm." The younger woman said with a shrug. 

"Yeah, we have just our names at least once a month I think." 

\---

"Wow, Chris. These are great seats." Cody said as he and Stacy got settled, Spencer sitting in between Stacy and Christen. 

"They really are. Tobin is the one to thank there." She admitted with a smile, looking down at her daughter all decked out in her Heath clothing. 

"Where is Toby?" Spencer asked with a slight whine. 

"She'll be out soon, Spencer. Keep watching the field and you'll see her." Christen assured her as she pointed towards her to the field. 

A few short minutes later, the USWNT began filing onto the field as the announcer explained how all the players were wearing their normal numbers, but had different names gracing their jerseys. 

"Tonight our players are wearing the names of a woman that they're found inspirational to them. They're carrying their usual number, but the last names are of someone who has inspired them greatly. In numerical order, #1 Alyssa Naeher is wearing her jersey for Robin Roberts..." The announcer said before continuing down the line as the players stepped forward and waved to the crowd. 

"Do you know who Tobin chose?" Stacy asked, taking everyone's focus off of the bouncing 4-year-old next to them, beyond excited to see a game in person. 

"I have no idea. I didn't even know they were doing this." Christen said, somewhat shocked that her girlfriend didn't mention this. 

"It's almost to Toby!" Spencer squealed as they got to #12, knowing that Tobin was coming up soon. 

"It is! You think she'll wave to us?" Christen asked, knowing that her girlfriend would without a doubt. 

"She better! Toby!" Spencer said, almost scolding at the thought of her best friend not waving to her, causing the rest of the Press's to chuckle. 

"Next, we have #17 Tobin Heath wearing her jersey for Christen Press." He announced, the Press family cheering as loudly as possible except for Christen, who was completely in shock. 

"That's you, mommy!" Spencer said happily, waving frantically to where Tobin was waving to her. 

"How about that, Mo." Cody said proudly, reaching behind Stacy to squeeze his daughter's shoulder. 

"I can't believe she did that." The green-eyed woman said, tears already starting to fall as she looked back onto the field and found her soulmate looking at her with a proud smile. She quickly blew her a kiss and smiled as she watched Tobin beam, nodding happily to herself. 

"You're a lucky lady, Christen. She's a good one." Stacy said as she watched her daughter wipe her tears away. 

"She's the best." Christen replied, shrugging her shoulders simply, sniffling softly. "I don't know how I got so lucky."

"You both got lucky there." Cody said as he squeezed his daughter's shoulder. "Nothing makes me happier than seeing you taken care of and getting treated like you deserve." Cody admitted as Christen continued to stare at her soulmate on the field. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Hit me with any prompts!


End file.
